A statement from GUE/NGL President Gabi Zimmer on today’s Eurogroup meeting

“In view of today´s Eurogroup meeting, I would like to stress that the creditors are asking for more austerity measures and sacrifices by the Greek people in order to service an unsustainable debt. There is an urgent need for concrete positive results which allows for debt relief and give real prospects for Greece in order to end austerity and the dictated adjustment programme once and for all. What Greece critically needs is to speed up its efforts towards a sound economy and inclusive growth.

It is inconceivable that the IMF asks a member state of the European Union to legislate measures in advance to the Budget of 2019. These demands of additional measures of 4.5 billion euros are illegal, economically counter-productive and politically unacceptable. They cause additional delays and pain for the Greek people, they are disrespectful to the enormous sacrifices that the Greek people have already made. Therefore, we repeat our demand to the EU institutions and the Eurogroup: stop austerity and invest massively in public goods and services for a sustainable development.

The responsibilities of Mr Schäuble and the extreme neoliberal forces are huge as their ideology and implementation have already damaged Europe’s people and will have further disastrous effects for both the EU and Greece – at a time when the EU’s political and economic stability is already jeopardised.”