Prime Minister George Papandreou, addressing a press conference at the end of the informal European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday and referring to the EU leaders' agreement to assist Greece so that it can weather its current economic crisis, said that "our partners assessed and ascertained our will to change, we convinced following a great effort and it is necessary for us to continue. I declare that we shall succeed."
Asked what would be given in exchange for the "triple supervision" for the implementation of the Stability Programme on the part of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF and the taking of the necessary additional measures, Papandreou said that "the fact that they are supervising us today is the result of the policies of the past years and of the complete absence of credibility. We have no problem: The transparency for what we are doing and what we are implementing is the best reply to every one who may doubt that we have the will to implement what we have to implement, to take the decisions that we must take in order to achieve our goals."
Called on to clarify if the "supplementary measures apart from the Stability Programme will be imposed by the Commission, the ECB and the IMF, if we do not observe the programme or another wave shall follow within the Programme," the prime minister said that "the Commission with ECOFIN and the Eurogroup are responsible for the decisions, the others are assisting. Secondly, the Programme itself says that if along the way the goals are not achieved we are ready to take the necessary and additional measures."
Papandreou termed as important the decision of the EU and of the eurozone for coordinated action if necessary, to secure stability, while whatever decision, as he said, constitutes at the same time a clear message to the markets and to possible profiteers as well.
"We shall respond to the message proceeding with the necessary great reforms in our country and be certain that we shall succeed," he said.
"Our will is also expressed in the Stability, Growth and Reconstruction Programme and the additional measures that we took, while we shall do everything that is necessary to achieve our goals which are a decrease in the deficit by 4 units in 2010, the country's entry into a new growth model with the simultaneous protection of the weaker," he added.
The prime minister also mentioned that during the informal summit Europe's growth prospects were also discussed through the axes of innovation, education and digital society, the employment of skills and the combatting of poverty, and green growth with a viable economy at the same time.
12.02.2010
