President, Nikos Christodoulides, stressed the need for enhanced energy security, resilience strategy and the European economy's competitiveness, during a teleconference with EU leaders, initiated by the German Chancellor, the Italian Prime Minister and the Belgian Prime Minister, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis has said.
The purpose of the teleconference, on the evening of 10 March, was the coordination between leaders ahead of the discussion on competitiveness at the European Council this month. The teleconference is a follow-up of the leaders' meeting in Alden Biesen, Belgium, last February, the Government Spokesperson noted in a written statement.
He also said that the upcoming meeting of the European Council is expected to make important decisions concerning the resilience of the EU economy, the strengthening of the European industry and the formulation of the necessary policies to strengthen European competitiveness.
Letymbiotis added that the leaders exchanged views on issues related to energy prices and the impact of recent developments in the Middle East, the further deepening and integration of the single market, as well as the need to simplify European procedures and reduce the administrative and bureaucratic burden on businesses.
He pointed out that President Christodoulides "stressed that the uncertainty in the Middle East is directly affecting the European economy and EU competitiveness, particularly due to the consequences on energy prices, on the supply chain, and on the broader geoeconomic environment."
The President "stressed that these developments make it even more urgent for the European Union to move forward with coordinated policies that will strengthen energy security, strategic resilience and the competitiveness of the European economy," the Spokesperson concluded.
(Source: CNA)
