Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Yiannis Maniatis, met yesterday (4.12.2013) in Athens with representatives of the Brussels-based American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU). The meeting, which was also attended by General Secretary for Energy and Climate Change, Costas Mathioudakis, and Special Secretary for Water, Kostas Triantis, focused on the upcoming Greek Presidency in the first half of 2014.

Maniatis presented the priorities of the Greek Presidency in matters concerning the environment, energy and climate change, as well as the agenda of the Councils in which Greece seeks to place growth and job creation, especially for young Europeans, at the centre of debate, an approach that the representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce acknowledged as an important initiative.

Maniatis stressed the necessity of reforms that can bring new investments to Europe, while environmental protection, the quality of the natural environment and the sustainable management of natural resources should be safeguarded. In this context, Greece will bring into the debate issues such as the targets for 'Energy - Climate Change 2030 ", the energy cost of industry, the protection of vulnerable consumers, energy security and energy-saving.

At the same time, Greece will highlight issues such as the protection of European biodiversity, 'blue' development and maritime spatial planning that offer opportunities for investment and employment, as well as on how to get the European Union to focus on sustainability and the horizontal "greening" of all actions and individual sectors (rural development, tourism, industry, etc.).