Greece/Eurogroup
Commenting on yesterday's meeting of Eurozone Finance ministers on Greece, Greens/EFA co-presidents Rebecca Harms and Philippe Lamberts stated:
"Yesterday's meeting of the Eurogroup demonstrated the politically-misled stubbornness of a number of Eurozone member-states, led by Wolfgang Schäuble, the German finance minister. While the Greek government has demonstrated a willingness to bridge the gap and rebuild trust with its creditors, some of them appear increasingly determined to kick Greece out of the Eurozone. We see such an unprecedented move as a grave attack against the very idea of the monetary union and beyond, of the European integration. Notwithstanding the fact that the German non-paper was circulated without the German Bundestag being properly informed as the German constitution demands, we consider this initiative as utterly irresponsible.
We believe that the time has come for Greece's creditors to strike a deal that enables Greece’s short-term financing needs to be met, under economically viable and socially just conditions. At the same time, a solution must be found to make the Greek debt burden sustainable over the medium term. Yet none of the above will lead to the intended results if Greece and its European partners are not engaging together to rekindle investment in the country and engage in the long-needed reforms the country desperately needs in order to function properly, not least setting up an effective, just and neutral tax administration.
In the spirit of the recent declarations of Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker in the European Parliament, now is the time for European leaders - heads of State and Government, in particular German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande, of the Commission and of the European Central Bank - to demonstrate their commitment to the European project and strike a just and sustainable agreement. It is high time."
