Long term energy planning a top priority, says PM
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday that long term energy planning has been his government’s main priority, despite the country’s protracted financial crisis.
Addressing the opening of the Clean Energy for EU Islands forum in the town of Chania on the island of Crete, Tsipras said his government has brought the protection of the environment and climate change from the sidelines to the centre of the political discourse.
“We made long-term energy planning a political priority, and this despite the seven-year economic and social crisis we are now emerging from," he said.
He added that Greece is the only lignite-producing country in the European Union, which is pushing for stricter emission limits, and he highlighted the efforts by Athens to the cause of clean energy. He also said that it is a given that Greece will meet the EU target to increase its share of GDP for clean energy by 2020.
The aim of the forum on Crete is to help European Union islands reduce their high energy costs, reinforce energy security, boost renewables uptake, and use more innovative energy technologies.
