ATHENS — They make an odd couple: a Harvard-educated Greek conservative and a Spanish eco-socialist.
But Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Teresa Ribera are united by a concern that is driving a wedge between Europe’s climate-hit south and the less-affected north.
The Greek prime minister, and Spain’s deputy prime minister who is the frontrunner to take the top green policy job in the next European Commission, have separately raised the alarm about the economic devastation climate change is causing to southern Europe. And both want Brussels to step up.
“I’ve been focusing a lot on this topic,” said Mitsotakis, speaking to POLITICO in his office in Athens last month. “I’m a big believer [in] the green transition. [But] it cannot be at the expense of those who actually suffer from the consequences of climate change today.”
