Ahead of the upcoming conclusion of Greece’s third economic adjustment programme, S&D Group president Udo Bullmann stated:
“We are happy to see that Greece is exiting the third and final bailout programme. After eight difficult years, the country and the Eurozone are finally turning a page. The agreement on debt relief reached between the Eurogroup and Greece in late June has been a milestone in the process of returning Greece to sustainable growth and stability. Now, it is crucial to keep the momentum and work towards building a fairer and stronger country for the next generations.”
“The fact that Greece is standing on its own feet does not mean it will be standing alone, as Commissioner Pierre Moscovici puts it. Its European partners will work closely with the Greek administration to ensure that the economy and the public finances remain on track. The Socialists and Democrats will ensure that the European Parliament lives up to its responsibility to monitor this post-programme surveillance to ensure its appropriateness and fairness.”
“At the EU level, there is no time for complacency. We must ensure that the Eurozone and the European project are never again on the brink of collapse. It is paramount that we fortify the Eurozone in a way that makes repeats of the Greek situation impossible in the future. We call on the Eurozone governments to stop dragging their feet to transform the European Stability Mechanism into a fully-fledged crisis resolution mechanism that operates within the Union framework without further delay.”
