Meeting of the Eurogroup | Prime Minister’s statement

PRIME MINISTER’S PRESS OFFICE
FRIDAY, 7 MAY 2010

For the past seven months, the Greek government and the Greek people have shown our determination to tackle our country’s problems: To reduce the deficit, to control the debt, and to embark on reforms which make our economy more competitive, viable, and make our society more transparent.

We have taken difficult decisions. Yesterday, the Greek Parliament adopted a three-year economic and financial programme concurrent with the activation of this important mechanism for Greece. We have taken these decisions for Greece. We have taken these decisions for Europe.

Today’s meeting marks the final stage in this process. In the following days, Greece will receive the first tranche of the EUR110 billion from the EU and the IMF.

This will allow us to implement our programme and our reforms, without being prey to the daily fluctuations of the markets.

Today’s meeting also reconfirmed something else, something also very important, that the need to safeguard the eurozone goes beyond Greece’s problems.

That is why the decisions we have taken show our common determination to work together and safeguard the stability of our common currency in Europe and the stability of Europe itself.  We do this so that Europe can go beyond the crisis, so that Europe can contribute to the recovery of the global economy, and therefore safeguard and create jobs as well as security for all citizens.

Thank you very much.