Meeting with Jean – Claude Juncker | Statements
MR. J.-C. JUNCKER: Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. As you know, the Troika mission has concluded what it had to conclude. That’s good news for Greece, and that’s good news for the euro area and the whole European Union, but it was impossible for us to have a look in depth to the assessment of the Troika statement. But now at last we are happy as far as the general outcome of the mission is concerned.
I was discussing with the Prime Minister the fiscal targets of Greece, the structural reforms which have to be undertaken by Greece, and we were of course discussing the privatisation issue. On these three avenues there was total agreement between the Prime Minister and myself.
As concerns the privatisation issue, I have noted with satisfaction that Greece is willing to set up a privatisation fund, and I am totally convinced that the privatisation plans the Greek government was working out will be implemented quickly, will be implemented in a transparent and credible way.
On that basis, I expect the Eurogroup to agree to additional financing to be provided to Greece, under of course strict conditionality. This conditionality will include private sector involvement on a voluntary basis, and this private sector involvement will have to be negotiated with the private creditors.
On these conditions and that basis, it’s obvious that there will be no exit of Greece from the euro area; there will be no default, and Greece will be able to fully honour its obligations.
I have to leave immediately, because I have to pronounce a speech on the economic governance in the euro area in five minutes from now.
MR. G. A. PAPANDREOU: Let me also say that these were very constructive and good discussions with Jean-Claude Juncker, who knows Greece well and is a friend of Greece, but also is key in this negotiation that is taking place within the European Union and amongst the different institutions.
The negotiations in Greece were conducted over the past weeks and have been concluded at the staffs level. There is an agreement, and that is a very positive sign.
We already have very impressive achievements over the first year of this programme, an achievement for example of the reduction of the deficit by 5% of GDP, with many other changes in Greece, and this with great sacrifices by the Greek people.
Still much has to be done, and at the same time we have seen that the markets remain sceptical. And this is why we are now discussing about additional financial support.
Greece will continue to work hard, and Greece is committed to fully honour its obligations.
As the Prime Minister Jean Claude Juncker, said, we discussed the fiscal situation and our programme. We discussed the issue of structural reforms, the mid-term programme, as it is called, the mid-term programme up to 2015, the privatisation and development of public assets programme.
And we also talked about how this programme will further strengthen growth and of course employment, as very important elements in this decision.
I also asked Jean-Claude that one of the major issues we have had in the implementation of our programme is the capacity of our civil service to make such deep and profound changes and reforms. And what I have asked him and what I have asked a number of member states, and will be asking all our member states and the Commission, is to set up agreements, bilateral agreements but also agreements with the European Union Commission, for capacity building in the civil service, whether it’s from privatisation to health, from education to e-governance, doing business easily in Greece, cutting bureaucracy, all the way to revamping and strengthening our tourist industry.
These are all things which I am very glad that they are ready to help and provide the necessary people, technical knowledge, expertise, know-how to Greece in this programme, and I think that is going to give a boost and is a further guarantee for the implementation of the programme, really making Greece a very different country, making this crisis an opportunity for the Greek people and for Europe.
Thank you very much.