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European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Opening Statement by Commissioner Kubilius at the Hearing before the Greek Parliament Foreign Affairs and Defence Committees Athens, 4 May 2026 Honourable members, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honoured to be with you this afternoon. This is the cradle of democracy. Greece invented democracy. I find my inspiration in history; and, in Greece, history meets you at ever...
European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Opening Statement by Commissioner Kubilius at the Hearing before the Greek Parliament Foreign Affairs and Defence Committees Athens, 4 May 2026 Honourable members, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honoured to be with you this afternoon. This is the cradle of democracy. Greece invented democracy. I find my inspiration in history; and, in Greece, history meets you at every step. The Greeks invented history. But we don't need to go to ancient times to praise Greece. Greece is a pioneer in edge sectors, leading in digital, for example. With the Pharos AI factory democratising access to start ups, SMEs, researchers and public institutions. The Economist last year called Greece an example in digitalisation. Greece is leading in energy – literally Europe's powerhouse. One of the largest energy exporters – vital for strategic autonomy. The recent Vertical Corridor is a vital lifeline for Eastern Europe and most importantly for Ukraine. The fact that the Greek Minister for National Economy and Finance is now President of the Eurogroup is in itself revealing and symbolic of how far Greece has progressed. Greece is leading in Defence. Very active in EU programmes. ASAP, EDF, EDIP and SAFE. In 50% of projects. Nearly 4 % defence spending this year. And a 25-billion, 12-year defence strategy. If all EU countries did that, our situation would be very different! This morning I spoke with Prime Minister Mitsotakis. I also had a meeting with Minister Nikolaos Dendias, responsible for defence, and Minister Dimitris Papastergiou, responsible for space. We discussed the important goals ahead us. First, support for Ukraine. Greece's support for Ukraine is firm and unconditional. Also for the Ukraine support loan: 90 billion euro, including 60 billion for defence. Our top priority is now implementation. So Ukraine can buy the weapons it needs. We will send the first 45 billion still this quarter. Including 6 billion euro for drones. I am in close contact with Defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov to facilitate investments and production. We have to work with Ukraine and learn from Ukraine. And Greece is already doing that with the “Achilles Shield” Defence programme. Second major goal: defence production ramp up in the whole of Europe. Russia is still outproducing us. If we only look at last year, figures speak for themselves: Cruise missiles: Russia produced 1.100 the EU only 300. Ballistic missiles: Russia – 900, EU – 0. Artillery ammunition: Russia 4 million, European Union - 2 million. Infantry vehicles: Russia - 3.500, European Union – 500. We can only deter Russia by outproducing Russia. ****** In the last year we created a ‘financial big bang'. Besides the Ukraine support loan, also 150 billion euro in SAFE loans. Nearly 800 million of that for Greece. We sent 18 out of 19 loan agreements. Member States now need to sign to start the implementation process. But most budget for defence is national: EU Member States in NATO pledged trillions for defence. We now need to change the financial big bang into a production big bang. A big challenge: We now have a ‘haute couture' defence industry. We need a ‘good enough' defence industry. Industry needs to massively scale up production capacity. Otherwise, we face rising unit prices and delivery delays. Member States need to give industry the right orders to reduce risk. Big orders, long term orders and joint orders, joint procurement, otherwise, we face another big danger: if all this money is spent only nationally, that will only increase fragmentation. Spending alone means standing alone. Joint production and procurement is the answer. We propose 40% in our Defence Readiness Roadmap. So I welcome Greece's participation in two new ASAP projects for ammunition ramp up. I encourage you to make full use of our new European Defence Industry Programme, which is now up and running – EDIP. To submit defence project proposals. – 1.5 billion euro is available. But more importantly, make use of the new legal possibilities in EDIP. For joint procurement – the Structure for European Armament Programme. And take part in pan – European defence projects, EDPCIs. Greece is now involved in a pan European project dealing with maritime defence. Other projects are being set up air and missile defence, on drone defence, on space and Eastern Flank Watch. These projects will defend the whole of Europe. It's important to start early, so Greek interests and talent are present right from the beginning. So get involved and take the lead, in Europe. And third important goal: institutional defence readiness. With the Russian threat increasing, and the Americans shifting focus to other parts of the world, Europe needs to take care of its own defence. Build a European Pillar of NATO, a European Security Union. This morning I in my meeting with Prime Minister Mitsotakis, we spoke in detail about Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union. The Treaty article on the obligation of support in the case of armed aggression. It's historic that Article 42(7) is now on the agenda of European leaders, most recently in Cyprus. And it's good that Greece is leading in this debate. I count on you, to turn these debates into decisions. We cannot defend Europe without Space. Our understanding of space, started here with the development of Greek astronomy. And the first every story about travel to the moon was written 2000 years ago, in Greek. By Lucian of Samosata. It's no accident, Space missions carry the names of Greek Gods – most recently Artemis II – made possible thanks to the European Service Module, a masterpiece of European engineering and industry. And now Greece is leading in Space. I welcome the Greek investment of Resilience and Recovery Fund money into space. 200 million, with results already this year and a focus on competitiveness and security. And I understand additional investments are under way. An important contribution to reinforce capacities and attract more investment in Greece. This morning, I had an excellent meeting with your minister responsible for Space, Dimitris Papastergiou. And I will visit tomorrow the new GOVSATCOM hub under construction in Athens. One of only two hubs in Europe. Essential for the success of GOVSATCOM, which started operations earlier this year. GOVSATCOM is European solidarity in Practice: Member States like Greece sharing encrypted satellite communication capabilities, so the whole of Europe is protected with sovereign communication. And the Athens GOVATCOM hub is also essential for the next big step: IRIS2, secure connectivity for the whole of Europe. I have asked my services to find solutions to accelerate, with initial operations starting from 2029. And this hub gives Greece big opportunities to play a key role in IRIS2. We need space for defence, and defence of space. Soon, I will present an Action Plan for a European Space Shield. Outlining space capabilities for defence and governmental users. Pooling and sharing national capacities next to dedicated European capacities. For strategic autonomy we need especially more and better access to space. Launching with space ports across Europe. In both Defence and Space, Greece puts a big emphasis on developing industry. That is not only good for security but also for Europe's competitiveness. I want to end by asking for your very concrete support. We now need quick and ambitious agreements between parliament and council on our outstanding Commission proposals. The Space Act. To mobilise the power of the Internal market for space, and build a single market – and protect our satellites from the exponential increase in space debris. The defence readiness omnibus – to cut bureaucracy for defence industry. Because it's absurd that in some member states, industry has to wait four years to get a permit for a new production line. The military mobility regulation . To move troops and equipment quickly across Europe to where they are needed. And they will be needed most at Europe's borders! Now it can take many months. Agile : A pilot project to bring new technology and products to market quickly and cheaply. It has to be operational by 2027. But above all we need your support for an EU budget that is strong for defence and space! We have proposed 131 billion euro for defence and space for the next multi-annual budget of the European Union, the MFF. A five fold increase, to meet the challenges of these dangerous times. And next year, Greece will have the Presidency of the Council. It will be Greece's responsibility to navigate the MFF into its safe final harbour. Like Odysseus sailing into Ithaca. I know you will do a great job, because before you Lithuania will have the Council Presidency. And as twice Prime Minister of Lithuania, I can say there is much we have in common. We are both countries on the borders of Europe. The Lithuanian border and the Greek border are also the EU border. Geographically we are at the edge of Europe. But politically we are at the heart of Europe, shaping the future of Europe. And I know you will do a great job, because every time we say the word “Europe” we are speaking Greek. The Greeks invented Europe. You are Europe. SPEECH/26/972
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