Elections in France and Greece
Clear signal for Europe to change tack in crisis response
Commenting on the outcome of the elections in France and Greece, Greens/EFA co-president Dany Cohn-Bendit said:
"This weekend's elections in France and Greece have given a clear signal to Europe that it needs to change tack in its response to the crisis.
"It has been clear for some time that the one-sided preoccupation with austerity in response the economic crisis is failing and exacerbating economic and social hardship across the EU. The voters of Greece and France have now delivered a resounding verdict.
"Leading EU politicians must take note and change course. This implies immediately shifting the focus to measures that will stimulate the revival of the European economy. In the case of Greece, this means revisiting the terms of its bailout package and the memorandum agreed with the ECB-EU-IMF Troika, with a view to shifting the focus to measures to restart the Greek economy."
Greens/EFA co-president Rebecca Harms added:
"The election results from Greece and France represent a wake-up call for the failing EU response to the crisis. The course pushed by Angela Merkel, with the support of Nicolas Sarkozy, has failed economically and has undermined the cohesion within the EU.
"The welcome power change in France must mark the beginning of a shift to a new democratic and just way out of the crisis, which president Hollande must lead. The Greens will continue to push for measures to revive the European economy, based on sustainable development, as well as to strengthen the democratic oversight over measures to tackle the crisis."
