The debate on the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, the continued support of the EU to Ukraine, the developments in the Middle East, but also the migration are the main topics on the agenda of the Summit of the European leaders, which will take place on Thursday and Friday in Brussels with the participation of Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

On the economic front, and especially as far as it concerns the Multiannual Financial Framework, government sources said that Mitsotakis is expected to repeat his position expressed at the informal European Council in Granada, that he is in favour of increasing the budget in the review of the Multiannual Financial Framework. He will explain that it is impossible to provide in the EU budget so many additional resources for Ukraine and to give much less resources to sectors such as migration and natural disasters.

However, it is clear that the current European Council meeting is taking place under the shadow of the dramatic developments in the Middle East. According to government sources, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is one of the few European leaders who participated in the Peace Summit in Cairo along with Arab leaders, while three days ago he had the opportunity to visit Jerusalem. The same sources noted that the prime minister is expected to brief the European Council on these contacts, while he is going to repeat Greece's role as a reliable and honest interlocutor with all the countries of the region. 

Moreover, Mitsotakis is expected to reiterate Israel's right to self-defense according to International Law and International Humanitarian Law and will point out, as he did last Saturday in Cairo, the distinction between Hamas and the Palestinians, but also the need for protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip, as well as avoiding a humanitarian crisis. 

In addition, he will express - also as the leader of an Eastern Mediterranean country - his concern about the diffusion of the crisis which poses risks of regional instability. The prime minister will also reiterate that no military intervention can replace a viable political solution, namely the resumption of the Middle East peace process. It will remind of Greece's long-standing position in favour of a two-state solution, a position also shared by the EU, as expressed in the joint statement of the 27 of the European Council on October 15.

The European leaders will also discuss the issue of migration, its internal and external dimension in light of the additional pressure from the developments in the Middle East. 

Mitsotakis at the Summit of the European People's Party

Before the start of the proceedings of the European Summit, Kyriakos Mitsotakis will participate in the Summit of the European People's Party, on the sidelines of which he will have a meeting with Donald Tusk.