Van Rompuy: Greece no longer ‘sick man’ of Europe

Greece is no longer the “‘sick man’ of Europe” but a “fully fledged pro-European actor in the European Council,” noted former European Council president Herman van Rompuy in an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency. 

“I lived through the Greek socio-economic tragedy between 2010 and 2012 as president of the European Council. The second crisis of 2015 could have been avoided by the then Greek government. I had already left European politics by then. In any case, Greek citizens and families suffered greatly under this tragedy,” he said. 

“Today, Greece is no longer the ‘sick man’ of Europe thanks to the efforts of governments and the Greek people themselves. In any case, Greece has returned to being a fully fledged pro-European actor in the European Council,” he added. 

Van Rompuy, who is also a former prime minister of Belgium, spoke ahead of his arrival in Greece to receive the pan-European Empress Theophano Prize at a ceremony that will take place on November 9 in the northern port city of Thessaloniki’s Rotunda monument. President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and other officials from Greece and the rest of Europe are expected to attend.