On the occasion of today’s disbursement of 6,5 bn EUR in the framework of the Greek adjustment programme the European parliamentarians Michail Tremopoulos (Greek Greens) and Sven Giegold (German Greens and Green coordinator in the Economic and Monetary Committee) declared:
“The adjustment programme has not solved the deep problems of the Greek economy but added serious social problems. We reject demands from leading Eurogroup finance ministers to even toughen more the austerity programme. Greece is already in the brink of falling into a long period of economic depression. It is still necessary to balance the Greek budget and get back to fiscal discipline. Nevertheless, instead of further wage and pension cuts, we rather need protection of lower incomes, deep cuts in military spending and a programme of tracing back and reclaiming money from corruption and tax fraud. Furthermore, to make up for unemployment and loss of purchasing power, we urgently need a Greek Green New Deal to increase investment in the sustainable economy and the upgrading of public goods, which could be co-financed through a special programme by the European Investment Bank. Lastly, the interest rate for the loans to Greece have at least to be reduced to the costs of borrowing by the financing member states. It is not acceptable and does not correspond to the European value of solidarity that Germany, France and the other member states of the Eurogroup try to make a profit from lending to the struggling Greek state.”
Green MEPs demand lower interest rates for Greece
On the occasion of today’s disbursement of 6,5 bn EUR in the framework of the Greek adjustment programme the European parliamentarians Michail Tremopoulos (Greek Greens) and Sven Giegold (German Greens and Green coordinator in the Economic and Monetary Committee) declared:
“The adjustment programme has not solved the deep problems of the Greek economy but added serious social problems. We reject demands from leading Eurogroup finance ministers to even toughen more the austerity programme. Greece is already in the brink of falling into a long period of economic depression. It is still necessary to balance the Greek budget and get back to fiscal discipline.
Nevertheless, instead of further wage and pension cuts, we rather need protection of lower incomes, deep cuts in military spending and a programme of tracing back and reclaiming money from corruption and tax fraud.
Furthermore, to make up for unemployment and loss of purchasing power, we urgently need a Greek Green New Deal to increase investment in the sustainable economy and the upgrading of public goods, which could be co-financed through a special programme by the European Investment Bank.
Lastly, the interest rate for the loans to Greece have at least to be reduced to the costs of borrowing by the financing member states. It is not acceptable and does not correspond to the European value of solidarity that Germany, France and the other member states of the Eurogroup try to make a profit from lending to the struggling Greek state.”