JOURNALIST: Thank you very much indeed for joining us, Mr. Lambrinidis. Do you feel now that with these two meetings of the European Union leaders approaching, that there will be a stable and viable solution to Greece’s problems by this time next week?
S. LAMBRINIDIS: I certainly think so and I certainly hope so, not simply for Greece but also for the whole of Europe. The Greek problem is clear - very tough and very difficult measures have been taken by the government in the past year and a half. Others are, as you mentioned, about to be taken. The Greek people are clearly suffering. The political will that the government has shown is also clear. But Greece is not the only issue in the European Union today, although it is in the center of the storm and we tend to focus on it. Other countries also are under support mechanisms, other countries are under attack by markets for their own debts and deficits, and so Europe has a collective solution to give to a collective problem.
JOURNALIST: And who do you blame for the situation in which the Greek people now find themselves in? Whose fault is it?
| S. LAMBRINIDIS: I would not go into a blame game. Clearly Greece had huge debts and deficits back in 2009 that were of Greece’s making. And therefore, the extremely tough measures that need to be taken, and have been taken, are measures that the Greek government had a responsibility to enforce. The extremely painful measures are being felt by the Greek people, that is clear. At the same time, what also became clear in the past months of discussions is that Greece was a part of a larger problem that had to do with the monetary union of the EU that had not been followed adequately by a fiscal and economic union. This is a major issue that we are discussing as we speak. Also, of course, that there are debt and deficit problems not simply in Greece but in other countries as well. |
Each country is a special case, but that also needs to be addressed. Therefore, it’s not a matter of a blame game. I am afraid that we have engaged in a blame game for far too long in Europe and in the world, pointing fingers at each other as opposed to joining hands. The responsibility that Greece has, to change itself and the country, is one that it takes extremely seriously. We know the pain and we will do whatever needs to be done. We have proven it up to now already. We have the capacity but we have to leave the rhetoric of punishment. We need a light at the end of the tunnel, both for Greece and for everyone else. We are major democracies after all, and in democracies people may suffer but they also need to have hope. And hope is something that we can collectively promote much better, both to Greece and most importantly to all of Europe.
JOURNALIST: Why should the German taxpayer pay to bailout Greece now?
S. LAMBRINIDIS: Well, first of all, the German taxpayer and every other taxpayer is not paying and is not giving handouts. They are giving loans, expensive loans and loans that Greece will repay down to the last Euro, and already has. So, this is not an issue of a handout. Secondly, because we are all part of a common currency and even those who don’t belong to it, depend on the stability of Europe as a whole, as a major world economic power for exports and for their own economic sustainability in each country. Therefore, and this is what the whole idea of the EU is about, we have, if you like, a joint responsibility to defend each other. This is something that some countries, including mine, violated in the past few years. Greece is not a poor country, it is a country that was poorly managed for a while and now we are returning to an entirely different path. But also, there is a responsibility that we all have agreed to, of solidarity, not because we are simply nice to each other but because the power of our union in the globalized world is when we are all together as opposed to being shut in our own shells. That is the biggest mistake we can make.
JOURNALIST: I mean there is going to have to be a write-off of some of the debt which is either going to hit banks, which will then have to be supported by the taxpayer or there will have to be some kind of issue which again will cost other governments’ money and this is the problem really. And then there are countries like Slovakia. I mean, you know, Slovakians are saying pensions in Greece are a lot higher than pensions in Slovakia, why should they have to make a contribution?
S. LAMBRINIDIS: Well, you raised a number of very important points. Let me start from the last one. Interestingly enough, not Greek statistics, OECD statistics indicate that the Greek people retired already, used to retire, at a later age than the average European age. They also work more than the average time, hours per week, than the average European worker. As I said, these are OECD statistics. Nevertheless, in the past year Greece has overhauled, in addition to every other major change that it has made, structurally and also in terms of fiscal consolidation, has overhauled its pension system. The pensions are lower, the retirement age is even higher. I mention this because in many cases in European countries, that debate gets focused on myths about Greece, it is not a myth that we mismanaged the country. This is a reality and this is a responsibility that is entirely our own and we are taking the steps to correct this. As I said, they are painful but we are not denying that responsibility. There are also, however, impressions that make the political decisions tougher because they are based on a notion that there are sinners and there are virtuous people around the continent. I think that that kind of rhetoric has to stop; it is in everyone’s benefit to do so. At the same time, as other countries have to understand Greece’s particularities, so does Greece and the Greek people have to understand, and we do, the particularities and difficulties in other countries. This is what the greatness, if you like, of the European Union is. We are not all the same. We want to be able to converge, we have failed to do so as a union in the past ten years. We are moving now to this process and we have to understand what each other’s citizens feel.
JOURNALIST: Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
S. LAMBRINIDIS: Thank you very much.
October 21, 2011