Elections in Greece

Following Syriza’s electoral success in Greece, Greens/EFA Co-Presidents Rebecca Harms and Philippe Lamberts congratulated the winner and called on the new government and the EU institutions to work together constructively:

“The Greens/EFA group congratulates Syriza on their win. We hope that this political sea change opens the way to sustainable and sound reforms and social justice in Greece. Greece urgently needs fresh ideas on sustainable economic change. The Greens have also long been aware of Greece’s huge potential in terms of energy resources and sustainable agriculture and tourism. 

This vote signals that the majority of Greek voters want to move on from Greece’s outdated, decrepit party political system and towards genuine political transition. Syriza’s victory also clearly signals disappointment and resentment with the one-sided policies, sold as “reforms”, which were imposed by Greece’s previous government and the majority in the EU Council, and which focused solely on budget cuts.

Alexis Tsipras embodies the hope for a change of direction in the European Council. The Euro’s only chance for long-term stability lies in Eurozone countries’ stepping up their cooperation on economic and fiscal policy. Another indispensable building block for this new beginning is the urgently needed initiatives against fiscal dumping in the EU as a whole. Greece’s exit from the Eurozone is not an option.

The Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament will do everything it can to support good cooperation between the EU institutions and the new government in Athens. The Greens hope that other political parties share this goal, as Syriza’s failure would benefit only the extreme right, who came third in the elections. Together with our colleagues from the Greek Greens, we will continue to push for our goals of environmental and social change in Greece.”