Barroso warns of the consequences of non Greek
Posted by adminA fault of Greece have unpredictable consequences, including the risk that the debt crisis in the euro area spread to other countries, said Commission President José Manuel Barroso, quoted in the German daily Bild.
Discussions between Athens and the inspectors of the mission the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-European Union (EU)-European Central Bank (ECB) continued for a payment of a new tranche under the aid plan international countries.
Greece could be short of money in the month of November without this slice of eight billion euros.
"If we leave Greece, there are more chances for the crisis is spreading to other countries," said José Manuel Barroso in an interview to be published by Bild on Monday.
The President of the European Commission stressed that no one had ever experienced a bankruptcy of a member state of the euro area.
"We have entered uncharted territory and we are talking of solutions that have never been tested before."
Didier Reynders, Belgian Finance Minister, also made comments rather alarmist, saying that Greece should be helped to prevent financial contagion across what had happened during the collapse of Lehman Brothers in any late summer 2008.
"If we do not solve the Greek problem, if there is a danger of contagion to Spain and Italy, while the worst case scenario could materialize," he said in an interview published Saturday by the Greek magazine Proto.
Nicolas Sarkozy traveled to Berlin on Sunday for talks with Angela Merkel of crisis, with a priority to overcome their differences on how to recapitalize European banks.
In announcing the end of September it moves ahead in the German capital, the French president had indicated he would discuss with the Chancellor "ways and means to accelerate economic integration in the euro area and implement as soon as possible" the new aid plan for Greece approved July 21 by the Europeans.
DEBT REDUCTION GREEK underestimated DIT SCHÄUBLE
Wolfgang Schäuble, German Finance Minister, said that Europe may have underestimated the amount of debt should be reduced Greek summit on 21 July.
The summit, which established the principle of a second aid plan for Greece and that of an extension of the powers of EFSF, provides that private creditors agree to a 21% discount on their debt Greek.
"It is possible that, in July, we held a level of debt reduction is too low," said Wolfgang Schäuble, quoted by the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the Eurogroup, said a few days ago that the finance ministers of the euro area were reviewing the extent of private sector involvement in the second bailout of Greece.
"There are significant risks to the crisis deepens and widens," said Wolfgang Schäuble.
Greece is at a crossroads and must implement "structural reforms much more stringent" to avoid failure, said the head of the IMF mission in Greece, Poul Thomsen, quoted by the German Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag .
"Greece is at a crossroads," said Thomsen. "It is clear that the program will not work if the authorities do not take a path that requires structural reforms much harder than we've seen so far."
"Greece is two steps forward, one back," said Thomsen."The Greek government has much of the most difficult changes are to come."
About the austerity measures, Didier Reynders warned however that we should not go too far: "We do not want a cure that will kill Greece."
Greek Socialist Prime Minister George Papandreou could propose the formation of a unity government with the opposition to try out his country from the financial crisis, a local newspaper reported Saturday.
The government has however denied reports published by the financial daily Imerisia which raises the possibility of a resignation of Papandreou order to reach a political consensus and bring together a large majority in parliament supporting a coalition government.