PM vows measures, rails against austerity
During a stormy session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras pledged to submit the “credible” reforms that Greece’s creditors have been pushing for Thursday but gave no details.
In a speech that combined conciliatory and defiant rhetoric, Tsipras stressed that his government did not want a rift with Europe but emphasized that Greece’s crisis is a “European problem.” He underlined the need for debt relief and for a deal that is “viable” and does not increase austerity.
“We want an agreement that will bring a final end to the crisis and show there is light at the end of the tunnel,” Tsipras told European lawmakers. He argued that most of the money given to Greece by creditors over the past five years had gone to “Greek and European banks.” “The money that was given to Greece never went to the people,” he said.
Tsipras even quoted Sophocles in a bid to make his point. “In ‘Antigone,’ Sophocles taught us that there are times when justice for men is above the laws of men,” he said. “This is such a moment.”
The Greek premier, who spoke twice before the Chamber, was cheered but also jeered. German conservative MEP Manfred Weber accused Tsipras of lying to his people, declaring that the debt reduction he sought would “not hurt bankers.” “It will hurt nurses in Slovakia and public officials in Finland.” Others, including Italian socialist Gianni Pittella, were much warmer. “For us social democrats, Europe without Greece is simply unthinkable,” he said.
European Council President Donald Tusk warned that this was really the last opportunity for a deal. “Without unity on Greece we will wake up in four days in a different Europe,” he said.
