Merkel/Hollande intergovernmentalism is undemocratic and unsustainable

“How can you sleep at night given the failure of successive attempts to get us out of the crisis?” GUE/NGL President Gabi Zimmer asked EU leaders this morning in the European Parliament debate on the upcoming June Summit.

“The IMF report on the fiasco of the Troika policy in Greece illustrates this failure and blatant and serious errors regarding output data and forecasts. The upshot has been increased unemployment and social exclusion, the collapse of health and public services. Now we have the menacing news that the state broadcaster in Greece has been switched off. On this point, I'd like to reiterate the GUE/NGL group's solidarity with all ERT journalists and staff.”

“We urgently need to remedy both prevailing policy and politics in general. President Hollande and Chancellor Merkel in their recent joint statements are talking about extending EU intergovernmental cooperation behind the European Parliament's back, thus evading any democratic scrutiny. This kind of 'cooperation' is unsustainable.”

“Essentially, what is lacking in the Merkel/Holland strategy is the will to create a level playing field in Europe. Germany must ensure increased wages and the end of wage dumping in Germany at the expense of others – you can preach all you like when you're not taking the consequences!”

“Council must work on the social dimension of emu, finish with austerity, and introduce a social progress clause in EU law” Zimmer concluded.