Greece and the EU share a common fate
These days will determine the future of Greece and the European Union, either strengthening them both or leading to their decline. It is clear now that the problem is not simply economic – it has far-reaching consequences for Greece and for the future (and very existence) of the Union. Our country and the EU share a common fate. This was not so evident when danger appeared to be limited to the loss of confidence in the euro if Greece were forced to leave the common currency. Now the big question is whether the Union itself can survive when its leaders appear unable to prevent a small problem from poisoning the whole system. If the EU cannot solve the problem with Greece, the very foundations of the idea of a united Europe will be questioned.
Nothing shows up differences between opposing sides more than the moment when an agreement is possible. As long as the SYRIZA government and Greece’s creditors were far from compromise, both sides could claim that they were working earnestly for a solution and that the other side was undermining the effort. When the Greek government saw that the country would collapse if it did not meet creditors’ demands, we saw how difficult it was for the latter to reach a deal. Over the weekend, negotiations at the Eurogroup and at the summit of euro countries showed the lack of coordination and the disagreements between representatives of the member-states. They revealed, also, that the EU has not learned a valuable lesson of the past few years: A union of independent states must not allow itself to reach a point where one country becomes a pariah, a scapegoat. Problems must be solved in a depersonalized, institutional way. Following the outbreak of the Greek crisis, the EU did adopt new mechanisms and procedures for dealing with such problems, but in the case of Greece the issue remains highly “personal” (Greece vs the Rest, the Rest vs Greece). And very dangerous.
The lack of enthusiasm by previous Greek governments to carry out reforms in exchange for loans, and the downright hostility of the present government toward creditors, can explain to a great extent the lack of trust and unwillingness of our partners to provide more money to Greece. But our government, seeing the dead end of its policy, did a U-turn and lost its majority in Parliament. However, it gained the support of opposition parties and now has the backing of five-sixths of the House.
It is time for our partners to realize that the situation has changed. Greece and the European Union are in a unique position to move toward a viable solution, with the forces of responsibility in a united front and populists in retreat (at least temporarily). If European leaders cannot see this and allow the opportunity to be lost, it is certain that they will lead the Union to one defeat after the other.
