Varoufakis set Greece back years, says ESM official

Yanis Varoufakis’ tenure as Greek finance minister was costly, set Greece back years and was negative for the Greek people, the secretary general of the European Stability Mechanism has said.

Speaking after the eurozone rescue fund paid its final 15 billion-euro bailout loan to Greece on Monday, Kalin Anev Janse said that Varoufakis sparked fierce arguments within the EU in 2015.

"Varoufakis was not good for the Greek population. His policies have cost a lot of money and unfortunately Greece has been put back a few years," Janse told Dutch public broadcaster NOS.

"It was really going in the right direction in 2014 and we were preparing a clean exit for Greece, so that it would emerge from the support program without a loan."