The new Minister of Economy Dimitris Papadimitriou expressed his confidence that there will not be a fourth bailout agreement, in an interview on ERT. “In 2017 Greece will have the surplus that it needs to have” he noted, adding that as such there will be no need for new measures or a fourth bailout.
Regarding older statements on a parallel currency, the Economy Minister responded that posing such a question at present is “deceptive”, while underlining that the Prime Minister himself has ruled out such a prospect. Mr. Papadimitriou also expressed his concern over the main opposition’s statements and alarmism.
In 2012 a consultant of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras had proposed a departure from the euro, which the Minister of Economy dismissed since it would be ‘catastrophic’ for Greece. These statements oh his, Mr. Papadimitriou noted, were suppressed.
The Economy Minister stressed that European needs Greece to return to growth and stability, because after the Brexit vote the rules on the Old Continent have changed and many EU members appear to have ‘secessionary tendencies’.
“I think tat to give the European people faith, they must change policies and Greece’s return [to growth] will help them. It may seems absurd, but there are elections in Austria, Germany and France and we may see political changes in Austria and France” the Economy Minister opined, adding that Germany must also change policies.
According to the Minister of Economy, the German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble is tangled up in the ‘trap’ he set regarding the management of the Greek public debt. “Many said the opposite of what Mr. Schäuble said [on opening talks for the debt after the end of the program]. Everyone knows that Mr. Schäuble said so because there are elections in Germany in 2017. He cannot escape the trap he has set” concluded Mr. Papadimitriou.
