Some people have the naturally born talent to make friends. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is certainly not one of them. His reaction to the Greek request for loan agreement extension was quick, official and “brutal” as some people described it.
Schaeuble ordered his spokesman Martin Jeager to make a statement and reject the Greek request. I suppose at the same time, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis had pressed the “send” button in his e-mail box.
The German Finance Ministry statement reads:
“The letter from Athens is no substantial proposal to solution. In fact it targets a bridge-financing without the fulfillment of the demands of the program. The letter does not meet criteria agreed by the Eurogroup on Monday.”
The German Finance Ministry's press release is brutally to the point (h/t @stefanwagstyl) pic.twitter.com/xXKde373Hc
— Open Europe (@OpenEurope) February 19, 2015
It is worth mentioning is that Schaeuble had rejected the Greek request even before he read it.
Anyway, keeping the path of controversial messages, EU Commisison President Jean-Claude Juncker described the Greek request as ‘positive signal”.
A spokesman for Jean-Claude Juncker, EC President, said:
President Juncker sees this letter as a positive sign which, in his assessment, could pave the way for a reasonable compromise in the interest of the financial stability in the euro as a whole. (Guardian)
The detailed assessment of the letter and the response is now up to the eurogroup.
State NERIT TV reports from Brussels, that the Greek request will most likely be the basis of – what else- negotiations tomorrow at the Eurogroup.
Some Greeks see it with …humor!
#Schauble I feel sorry for the Greeks! They give up just a few meters before the end! by #PanosMaragos pic.twitter.com/nnnpGj90i2
— George Mitakides (@GMitakides) February 19, 2015
PS Wouch!!!
People in Greece behaved as if they do not need the Troika . In the night of Syriza win a big banner claimed : ECB, EU , IMF Keep Calm , Go To Hell”.
That is what people believe. So if the ECB does not lend more money,is justified. The Greeks were the ones who rejected the ties with creditors. There is a disconnection (both in Greece and Portugal and Spain ) , between what people believe and reality. Its completely irrealistic to cut ties with europe , but this is exactly what people demand in demonstrations. While Merkel was visiting Greece Greeks wre calling her a bitch. This behavior does hardly win friends. Today I believe euro should split. The marriage did not work. People are blinded by hate. My neighbor in portugal claimed Portugal should also leave the euro,regain its dignity , no matter the consequences. I am Syriza , she said proudly. Better each country go its own way and suffer acordingly. This atmosfere of hate , of xenofobia against Germany is not healthy.
tell Germany to dissolve the eurozone then and let everyone go its way. xenophobia against Germany? You probably have no idea or forgot the insults by mainstream German media (Focus, Bild) and populists’ verbal attacks against Greece and the Greeks since 2010.
Let’s have a look at this with some distance.
First of all what Greek voters or the mainstream media of either country are talking should be of no concern to those that actually do matter. The persons negotiating the agreements.
Now me personally I do believe that the proposals made by your FM are a good start but really need more adjustment.
Your government tries too hard to come off as strong, they want to show the world, actually more importantly the Greek people, that Greece is not broken.
This is part of the problem, right now your country comes off as demanding money while not being willing to pay it back. I say comes off, because in reality that is not the case.
However the few guarantees your government is willing to give are not enough for the creditors and like it or not, they are the ones that HAVE to agree to lend you money. Nobody is willing to give money to someone who comes off as not willing to pay it back or to go back on previous agreements.
I believe that that sentiment is understandable.
Your government has to win the Eurogroup over and it has to be on their terms, because let’s be real, your country has no leverage it could use to force their hand.
Insults, treats, blackmail, lies, manipulation, twisting the truth, Goldman Sachs and sleazy US credit-rating agencies.
The greek government has answered:
Ooops, not the done thing. They don’t wear ties, they don’t jump when told to, and they talk back while making sense. that is not how the game is supposed to be played. Why can’t they just roll over and play dead and let the boys and girls who think they matter get on with enriching themselves at the expense of complete nations and peoples? How can they do this to wolfie and co, after all they did to, sorry, for Greece…?
Looks like Greece may have another Bank Holiday called “ochi day”
today if Schauble get his way (not thinking of Europe as a whole, only the poor German banks)
he won’t. read my latest post.