Greece
Statements by European Parliament President Martin Schulz totally unacceptable
Reacting to an interview given today by European Parliament President Martin Schulz to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Greens/EFA co-presidents Rebecca Harms and Philippe Lamberts drafted a letter to Mr Schulz expressing their concerns and stated:
"Together with our political group, we were stunned by Mr Schulz's statements in his interview with Handelsblatt. The remarks speculating on the outcome of the referendum, hoping for a victory of the 'yes' option followed by Prime Minister Tsipras' resignation and potential replacement of the democratically legitimate Greek government by one run by technocrats is totally inappropriate.
Regardless of Mr Schulz's commitment to EU integration and his contributions to finding a solution to the Greek crisis and while we recognize the legitimate frustrations that may have been caused by the attitudes of the stakeholders involved, there can be no justification for the statements in this interview. This is all the more so given Mr Schulz's position as a President of the European Parliament.
Greek citizens don't need escalation now but a serious exchange. Our group will deal with the role of the European Parliament President during next week's plenary session."
