A glimpse of hope arose in the European Summit as Greece and its partners appeared to find some common ground for a “bridge agreement” between the debt-ridden country and its international lenders.
The Greek government agreed to hold talks with the country’s creditors, while Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel said she is ready to work with Greece for a solution.
“(We) agreed today to ask the institutions to engage with the Greek authorities to start work on a technical assessment of the common ground between the current program and the Greek government’s plans,” Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem tweeted.
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and his eurozone counterparts raised doubts for Greece’s future as they failed to issue a common statement at a Eurogroup that ended early on Thursday morning, however today there was a positive feeling.
“Today we made some important steps, we have not covered all the distance, but we proved that the European Union is a place of conflict but also of compromise,” said Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at a press conference following the summit.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras emphasized at least three times that “there is no memorandum, or, Troika in Greece,” however he seemed keen to work with the institutions the Troika represented for a technical assessment that will be key to future negotiations.
“There will be no troika and Greece will be communicating mostly with EU institutional authorities to make sure that the new program will be on the right path and resolve problems together. We will be communicating mainly with the European Commission and the representatives of the other lenders when it is necessary.”
Tsipras said that his government proved today that nobody wants a rupture in Europe and that he will start implementing reforms that will bring results without affecting Greece’s poor.
He added that his government “wants to implement many of the reforms that were part of the previous program and have not been realized,” but insists that these reforms will not add a burden to the lower-income citizens in Greece.
“Most importantly these reforms have to be fair and not put all the burden on the poor. Many of Greece’s rich did not pay the price of the crisis cause they had ways to escape, by taking their money abroad for example.”
New Contract – but not a Memorandum
“There is no memorandum,” Tsipras repeated for one more time, adding that he will seek solutions in a contract that will include the reforms his party had suggested.
“What we should do is find common ground between the old programme of reforms and the program of the new government that the Greek people elected.”
He added that he respects the rules of the European Union and emphasized that the EU should also respect the vote of the Greek people who gave power to SYRIZA and its anti-austerity political solutions.
“The ultimate goal is to achieve a contract between Greece and its partners that will guarantee the country’s path to exit the crisis but without the austerity measures of the past that crippled its people financially.”
Support from Italy, Austria, Cyprus among a furious Rajoy
“Many said that we were isolated, that we were alone against everybody else. I didn’t feel this in the Summit today and many of our partners supported our positions.”
The Greek Prime Minister has gained support for his anti-austerity positions from Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, as well as Federal Chancellor of Austria Werner Faymann and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiadis.
Fearing that what happened in Greece with Tsipras’ SYRIZA government might repeat itself in Spain with Podemos, who also campaigned against austerity, Prime Minister Marianno Rajoy voice stood against the Greek government’s positions. If Greece achieves a better deal with its lenders he may have a lot to lose in Spain with Podemos already gaining power in his country.
“Rajoy was a bit anxious at the meeting and I want to explain to him that he is making a mistake and that he should not bring his internal politics to Europe, putting in danger our common European future,” said Tsipras.
“Some people, and also Prime Minister Rajoy, see a potential success of the Greek government as a political problem for them, but this is a mistake. If we succeed, or not, the problems will still be there.”
“If Greece returns to a growth path, it will be the beginning of the end of problems for all of Europe.”
The Greek PM concluded that today’s discussion took place with mutual understanding, and that “talks will continue on Monday’s Eurogroup for a bridge agreement that will ultimately lead us to a contract between Greece and EU.”
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