The current EU energy and economic challenges will primarily be discussed at the Summit of the nine EU Mediterranean member states (EUMED9) which will take place on Friday in Alicante, Spain, with the participation of Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, Government Spokesman, Marios Pelekanos has said in a written statement.
Pelekanos noted that apart from the Prime Minister of Spain, who is hosting the Summit, the leaders of Greece, France, Italy, Portugal, Malta, Croatia and Slovenia will also attend it.
The Summit will primarily deal with the current EU energy and economic challenges and ways of coordination of the Mediterranean partners of the EU will be sought, with a view to secure a powerful European response to these challenges, taking into consideration the interests of the Mediterranean, Pelekanos added.
He also said that among the main issues on the agenda are those related to the role of the Mediterranean for the Future of Europe, the EU strategic autonomy focusing on the energy sector and the future of the EU economic governance.
The exchange of views on the energy strategic autonomy of the EU will focus on the measures taken and that could tackle the rapid increase of the energy and electricity price, both at the EU and the national level. Moreover, it will focus on the efforts underway to lift dependency on Russia and to find alternative resources for the EU, among which are the prospects for a pipeline at the Eastern Mediterranean and the electric interconnections, via which renewable energy resources as well as other types of green energy, as hydrogen, can be used.
Pelekanos said that the leaders will also discuss the future of the EU economic governance, in light of the high inflation indexes and generally the economic pressure which the EU member states are facing and will seek solutions that could be given at the European level, in the framework of the fiscal policy.
The leaders will make statements to the media after the conclusion of the Summit on Friday evening.
Source: Cyprus News Agency