The European Peoples’ Party candidate for the presidency of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker gave an interview to the Euro2day website, where he argued that his opponent and SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras is not the right man to run Greece. Mr. Juncker further elaborated that if elected Prime Minister, Mr. Tsipras would not be able to cooperate efficiently with the European Union and as such he would be a major risk for the country.
Regarding recent revelations concerning the 2011 summit in Cannes and plans for Greece’s expulsion from the Eurozone, the former Eurogroup head claimed that he had always been an avid supporter of Greece. Juncker was also adamant that no threats were made against Greece or then-PM Giorgos Papandreou, over a proposed referendum.
It should be noted than in a June 2013 interview to the same website Mr. Juncker revealed that plans were made to detail Greece’s departure from the Eurozone and that “many countries” aside from Germany were in favor of such a development.
Mr. Juncker praised the efforts of the current government and stressed that it is time that Greece’s creditors and partner implemented the decisions they took in 2012 regarding further debt relief. Mr. Juncker warned that the crisis is not over though and the fiscal consolidation must carry on. He also estimated that there will be no need for a third bailout and that the fiscal measures must now affect more affluent Greeks.
