Balanced compromise needed for Greece in Europe

Balanced compromise needed for Greece in Europe

Sergei Stanishev, President of the Party of European Socialists said:

‘Greek people have voted and now Europe and Greece must sit at the table together to reach a fair, and balanced deal. What should not be on that table however, is the breakup of the Eurozone. This is not something that Greek people, nor others in Europe, want, and nor would it put Greece on an economically sustainable track.’

‘A conclusion must be brought very rapidly. We are confident that this is possible – if both sides show the commitment and reliability necessary to make it happen. As Socialists we reject the idea that this crisis can be boiled down to a choice between blind austerity or lack of serious reforms. What we need is a real investment-led strategy, backed by strong progressive reforms to ensure long-term economic and social viability. Both sides must commit to real and honest efforts so that a balanced deal can be reached and stability returned to Greece.

‘It is a positive sign that the Greek political parties, including our sister party PASOK, have united to reach a deal with creditors, and confirm their determination to keep Greece in the Eurozone.  This is the responsible thing to do, not only nationally, but also as Europeans.’

List of participants:

– François Hollande, PS France
– Matteo Renzi, PD Italy
– Sigmar Gabriel, SPD Germany
– Werner Faymann, SPÖ Austria
– Fofi Gennimata, PASOK Greece
– Jean Asselborn, LSAP Luxembourg
– Pedro Sánchez, PSOE Spain
– António Costa, PS Portugal
– Diederik Samsom, PvdA The Netherlands
– Maroš Šefčovič, European Commission
– Maria João Rodrigues, S&D Group in the EP
– Sergei Stanishev, PES
– Achim Post, PES

Free to use photos of the meeting in the PES set on Flickr.