Oh these EU technocrats, percentage calculators and professional politicians. Especially those from the far away Brussels who take crucial decisions for the fates of the European taxpayers who enable them to live in glass cocoons. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, currently in Athens, urged Greece to continue with unavoidable, ‘painful but necessary’ reforms and said it was vital the Greek people should be happy to make sacrifices for a better tomorrow. As Van Rompuy finances his comfortable from the taxes paid by the Greek jobless, I would expect something better than a chewed candy of ‘a better tomorrow with a miserable today’…
In an interview with the Greek daily Kathimerini newspaper the Van Rompuy said the debate over whether Greece should restructure its debt should not distract the government from making necessary changes.
‘I am aware of the ongoing academic discussion over restructuring public debt, but in the real world there are no magic solutions,’ Van Rompuy said. ‘Greece has only been implementing its programme for 10 months and we have to allow time for the reforms to bring results.’
The current wave of reforms, which aim to overhaul labour market rules and do away with bonuses and overtime pay, are facing strong opposition from unions which have held months of strikes and demonstrations.
Van Rompuy described the reforms as ‘painful but necessary,’ saying that it was vital the Greek people should not feel angry or alienated.
‘If people feel that the burden falls mainly on the shoulders of the usual suspects – families, workers and small businesses – there is a danger of a political backlash.’
‘It is vital that we offer people some hope and that we convince them the sacrifices they are making today are necessary for a better tomorrow.
Van Rompuy’s visit comes at a crucial time for the government as it is due to present finalized plans of its medium term budget strategy (2012-15) and how the country will raise 50 billion euros from privatisations by 2015 to reduce a large part of its debt.
Van Rompuy met President Carolos Papoulias on Tuesday morning, is due to meet Prime Minister George Papandreou at 01:00 pm and make statements at +/- 03:00 pm. Van Rompuy’s visit is considered as support visit.
