Reacting to the stalemate in the negotiations on financial assistance for Greece, the president of the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, Gianni Pittella, expressed strong opposition to the idea of additional measures to be taken by the Greek government. He called for an extraordinary Euro Summit next week if the Eurogroup is not able to come up with a way out.
President Gianni Pittella said:
"We cannot ask Greece to take additional measures. This would mean that some 'hawks' want to kill Greece and we cannot allow this blackmail. The stakes are too high for Europe. We should all work to prevent a crisis in Greece in the run-up to the British referendum, especially now that – under extraordinarily difficult conditions – Greece has over-performed on its primary balance target for 2015.
"If the Eurogroup cannot find a way out, despite the efforts of the European Commission, then the political leadership of Europe should take the lead at an extraordinary Euro Summit next week. We want a fair deal for Greece which also includes a discussion on debt relief."
