Meeting with Herman Van Rompuy | Statements
PRIME MINISTER
PRESS OFFICE
April 12, 2011
G. Α. PAPANDREOU: Ladies and gentlemen, may I welcome the President of the European Council, H. Van Rompuy, whom we have had and consistently have a regular and close cooperation with. I wish to thank him for this close cooperation of ours as well as for his painstaking and responsible contribution and work as European Council President, and this actually at a time replete with great challenges for the European people and the entire European Union.
We had the chance to discuss how to proceed with in terms of decisions we took on March 11, at the Eurozone Summit, as well as decisions the European Council made on March 25, in particular in light of Portugal’s request for the activation of the financial support mechanism.
This request on the part of Portugal confirms major changes and great challenges we are all faced with in Europe, for they are indeed unprecedented. They were never there prior to this and we certainly cannot afford to grow complacent. It goes without saying that all of us, in unison, and each and every one of us, on an individual basis, need to do all we can to make sure Europe gets out of this crisis ever stronger.
We intend to turn this crisis into an opportunity for Europe to grow stronger and help every country and every single economy grow stronger, too.
In March, within the EU, we took very important decisions on both ending this crisis and helping to protect Europe from going through similar phenomena in the future. We thus decided to enhance stability in the Eurozone and adopted the Pact for the Euro, which should improve and promote the economy of Europe and competitiveness thereof. It also aims at putting the necessary preconditions in place so as to subsequently have sustainable growth and foster job creation, which is what we are after in our various countries.
Moreover, today, we talked about forthcoming steps in view of the next European Council due this June so as to finalise issues, such as for example a way to increase real available capital of the EFSF and we certainly talked about preparing to have an agreement drafted with a view to establishing the so-called ESM.
We also elaborated on novel challenges Europe is faced with. Decisions we are making are bound to shape the future of us all, and all of Europe for that matter. So it is critical we be proactive and determine developments instead of just following up on them.
I believe we need to be prepared to come up and proceed with more initiatives and ideas. As you know, Greece and the European Parliament have endorsed many proposals, such as the Eurobond or a financial transactions tax, which could essentially act as tools in favor of stability for the Eurozone and contribute to growth within the EU.
I briefed President Van Rompuy on the course of big reforms that are being carried out in our country, the ones currently under way and what has already been implemented, and on top of that, what lies ahead.
The effort Greek citizens are exerting, painstaking though it may be, is yielding results. Thanks to citizens’ efforts and sacrifices we managed to get the overall Eurozone deficit to shrink ever further. The great changes and reforms which we are implementing guarantee there will be a different path for our country, a sustainable and competitive economy, a more fair society and an economy bound to give jobs to our youth as well.
Yet another challenge is associated with, of course, developments in the broader region. Greece is closely monitoring developments in the Arab world. And certainly the claims of people in the region for more democracy and freedom are developments which we support. We support the expressed will of people in the Arab countries in favor of increased democracy and freedom. We call upon their respective governments to show respect for human rights as citizens claim and expect them to do, and we unfailingly condemn the use of violence against the peoples.
Great democratic changes, which the citizens assert to, will be positive in terms of ensuring stability in N. Africa and the Middle East, as well as ensuring a stable course on firm ground towards democracy. Many governments have already received this message from the citizens and are indeed making steps in that direction.
Greece, jointly with its European partners and the international community, is ready to do its part so as for those countries to deal with this crisis, as is the case with Libya, and thus help the consolidation of democratic institutions throughout the entire area. You are all aware of this fact and, in the case of the Libyan crisis as well, our country came up with suggestions on political initiatives connected with UN resolutions and their implementation.
Greece, and it is not just now, but actually more as of late, has been under very intense pressure given migratory and refugee flows coming from our SE European borders. We touched on this issue during our meeting with the President of the European Council. We had a discussion on concerns we share and our stance regarding the need to demonstrate solidarity in practice (and I know it is there on both the part of the European Commission and the President as well as individual member-states) so as for us to manage this big pressure Greece is under given its geographic location.
And this is feasible through FRONTEX and enhancing its operations in the Mediterranean, especially by propping up «POSEIDON», which is covering the entirety of the external borders of Greece. This is certainly also doable should we strengthen the role the Frontex Operational Office in Piraeus plays.
I believe that Europe ought to be present in order to face the humanitarian crisis and lay the foundations for sincere cooperation with countries in the wider region when it comes to tackling issues such as migration and mobility.
I had the opportunity to inform, moreover, the President on huge efforts the Greek government is making at this tough junction to reform the National Asylum System. After the speedy drafting and adoption of a plan and the legislative framework, the relevant legal provisions are now in force, thanks to the help and assistance of the EU along with the member-states, EASO, and the UNHCR.
Certainly the pressure we are under, the mixed pressure of migration and refugee flows, is burdened by obligations which Dublin II sets out and we believe this regulation needs to be immediately amended and improved. That is, it is required that member-states show the necessary solidarity to the rest of their partners who are facing such a serious problem at their borders because the borders of Greece are not just the borders of this country. These borders are, after all, the borders of Europe as well.
Another big issue we concerned ourselves with was Japan and the issue of nuclear safety and security.
The March 11 tragic events in Japan concern us all. We are standing by Japan, both Greece and the EU, through various initiatives and humanitarian help which is provided through the EU.
With the President we touched on a relevant issue of international significance: the safe use of nuclear energy.
Our own position is clear: we are against the use of nuclear energy. This is a decision which Greece made several years ago as we are a seismic country. And though in the last few years there were many who kept telling us that the necessary technology was available, even for areas that have a lot of earthquakes, we eventually came to realize this is not the case. And it turned out, as we saw for ourselves, that the tiniest mistake can have a huge impact and indeed lasting repercussions.
Which is why I highlighted the importance we attach to the need of thoroughly checking nuclear facilities already established as well as putting in place strict criteria, on the basis of which to conduct stress tests. These should apply not just for those plants and facilities which are operating at the moment but also nuclear plants construction of which is being planned, and all of that, despite the fact that as I mentioned previously, we are against the further propagation of the use of nuclear power.
The consequences of our dependence, on nuclear energy and oil, underscore the need, and the opportunity if I may say so, to adopt a new and different growth model for Europe, the model of green growth which we are already promoting for Greece.
Last but not least, we had the chance to discuss enlargement , a discussion we shall certainly pursue at lunch during which we shall raise issues of interest to the neighboring area, Balkans and Turkey, along with relevant subjects linked to enlargement, such as, most certainly, the Cypriot issue and the name of neighboring FYROM.
I wish to thank Mr. Van Rompuy for his presence, his support and understanding in this tough time for Greece and Europe and may I also wish him and, EU as a whole, every possible success.
H. VAN ROMPUY: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, Prime Minister Giorgos Papandreou and I had a very fruitful meeting this morning, and I also met on the day President Karolos Papoulias, and in a spirit of cooperation and confidence we discussed the current economic and financial situation and issues related to migration, asylum and border management.
First of all, regarding the economic situation, my message today is one of support for the work done and to do. The reforms that are being implemented by this government are necessary to make Greece more competitive, more modern and more able to grow faster and create more jobs in the future.
I know they require an effort from everyone. The adjustment programme is imposing heavy sacrifices to the Greek society. And that’s why fairness in the distribution of the burden is of utmost importance. And that’s why combating fraud, tax evasion, corruption and bureaucracy is key. And I am fully convinced on the commitment of the government of Greece.
The EU has stood side by side to Greece and its government in these difficult circumstances. Once your country asked for, we have devised in a matter of days an effective programme for the providing financial support, together with the International Monetary Fund. It’s the first time in history that there is such an important amount of money to assist a country: EUR110, which is almost half of the GDP of Greece.
The member states that participate in the bilateral loans have recently agreed to reduce the interest rate by 1% and to extend the maturity of the loan. This is a very positive development for the country, and an acknowledgement of the major efforts undertaken by the Greek government.
The key is to continue implementing in a timely and effective manner the courageous reforms and privatisation that have been agreed. On fiscal consolidation, it is important to stick to the programme’s objectives. As regards structural reforms, they are key to address the problem of competitiveness and lay the foundations for growth and for jobs.
All these efforts are in the long-term interest of Greece. They are unavoidable, and should have been implemented long ago. Europe is not to be blamed. On the contrary, the Union is helping to preserve the future of Greece.
I know that this message is not always well understood, but it is the simple truth.
Ladies and gentlemen, in the preparation of the next European Council of the 24th of June, we also spoke about the European Union’s policy in the area of migration, asylum and border management. These policy areas are high on our political European agenda, due to the ongoing developments in our southern neighbourhood and in the Middle East, but also for internal reasons.
We will discuss these issues at our next European Council in June, in order to discuss them in a wider context.
The European Union is fully aware that Greece has been and is confronted with a high number of irregular migrants, due to its geographical local and its responsibility to protect external land and sea borders, not only of its own country but of the European Union.
Greece is making important efforts to fulfil its responsibility in this field. At the same time, the Union is showing its solidarity, via its border agency, Frontex, and the new European Asylum Support Office. The EU is significantly supporting Greece.
The RABITs operation by Frontex at the Greek-Turkish land border achieved good results, in cooperation with Greek authorities.
The joint operation Poseidon Land which has replaced it is also having a positive impact on the situation on the ground.
Furthermore, the Union is pushing for the swift conclusion and entry into force of the readmission with Turkey, given its potential impact on managing migration flows and fighting against irregular immigration.
The Schengen area, as well as the Dublin system in the field of asylum, can only function if participating member states can have mutual trust that agreed rules will be implemented correctly. I therefore highly appreciate that Greece is undertaking large efforts to strengthen the management of its external borders.
With the National Action Plan on asylum reform and migration management, the Greek government has set the necessary course for the reform of its migration and asylum systems.
Prime Minister Papandreou and I also agreed that measures within the EU are not sufficient. We will need to develop new or improving partnerships with the countries in our southern neighbourhood. They will have to cooperate further on fighting against irregular migration, trafficking in human beings, return and readmission.
I will closely cooperate with the Prime Minister in the preparation of our discussions at the next European Council in June.
Finally, let me just finish by saying that in all areas discussed today with Prime Minister Papandreou a right balance between European solidarity and national responsibility is necessary. Thank you.