At the international conference “The Evolving Climate and Energy Landscape in Greece”, organized by the Columbia Climate School, the University of Western Macedonia and the Columbia Global Center Athens, with the support of PPC and the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, on May 25–26, 2026 in Athens, Nikos Mantzaris, Lead Policy Analyst and co-founder of The Green Tank, participated in the session “Policy Perspectives on the Energy Transition” alongside representatives from academia, research institutions, and the energy sector.
In his intervention, Nikos Mantzaris emphasized that Europe’s repeated energy crises are rooted not in geopolitical instability itself, but in the structural dependence on fossil fuels. Referring to the energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he highlighted that both the EU and Greece managed to reduce fossil gas consumption significantly, while renewables expanded rapidly and compensated for declining fossil fuel generation.
He stressed that the acceleration of renewable energy deployment, together with citizen participation through prosumer projects and energy communities, proved to be one of the most effective responses to the crisis. However, he noted that this momentum weakened in 2024 and 2025, while fossil gas consumption in Greece rebounded sharply, contributing to high electricity prices for consumers.
Regarding European climate policy, he underlined that the upcoming revision of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) will be a critical test for the EU’s climate ambition and warned against efforts to weaken the carbon price signal and prolong fossil fuel dependence.
On Greece’s energy policy, he stressed the urgent need to accelerate investments in electricity storage, grid upgrades, and clean flexibility solutions, instead of supporting additional fossil gas infrastructure. As he noted, reducing dependence on fossil gas is essential not only for climate goals, but also for energy security, affordability, competitiveness, and resilience.
The session also featured Theodora Antonakaki, Director of the Climate Change and Sustainability Centre (CCSC) at the Bank of Greece; Anne-Sophie Corbeau, Global Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy of Columbia University; Panagiotis Grammelis, Director of Research at CERTH/CPERI; Natasha Martsekis, BoD Member and Chair of the Audit Committee at EYDAP SA, as well as member of the Sustainability Committee; and Stella Tsani, Associate Professor at the Department of Economics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The discussion was moderated by Alexander Cooley, Professor of Political Science and Vice Provost for Research and Academic Centers at Barnard College, Columbia University.
