European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was spotted in a picturesque little tavern by the sea somewhere in the outskirts of Athens. Casually dressed with a simple shirt and adjusted to local SYRIZA-mode without tie, the neighbor next door Jean Claude enjoys local specialties and reads a newspaper.
Quiz: Is this A. Greek coffee or B. Italian Espresso? I check… B.
But contrary to the Greek habit to sit in a tavern by the sea and stare at the sea, Jean-Claude has his back to the sea. Isn’t the EC president fancy of the “endless blue” as Greeks call the Aegean Sea? Oh he certainly is. It’s only that Juncker is not in Greece in his role as EC president or neighbor next door but he participates in a campaign spot of conservative German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
FAZ campaign “Behind [the report] is an intelligent mind”
Jean-Claude Juncker tells the FAZ that he is satisfied to see the prices on the Menu list to be in €uro: grilled octopus 16, stuffed mussels 10, pork on skewer 10….
and he reminds the German and possibly the Greek audience that he “fought a lot so that Greece remains in the eurozone.”
He praised Greeks as “a great nation” that is “being administrated by a weak state”.
“That one pays in euro in a delayed satisfaction” . Juncker did not mention that the satisfaction is not for the more than one one million unemployed, the half a million earning €400 gross per month and the millions of low-pensioners.
Apart from the “weak state” Juncker had another point to criticize: the heat!
“What I do not appreciate in this country is the heat we have to suffer from today. What I do appreciate is that the Greeks […] overcome the crisis head up.”
The FAZ initiated this campaign already in 1995 and it has featured well-known German personalities like Chancellor Helmut kohl, finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, director Wim Wenders to be reading the newspaper.
No worries, this does not demonstrate new colonial habits. It could be just the light check for the camera lol ( picture via Greek twitter user @kanaliotis)
PS I hope, Juncker did not receive any money for this campaign and that the tavern owner issued a receipt.
How patronising can he get? ‘He praised Greeks as “a great nation” that is “being administrated by a weak state”’ completely forgetting that this so-called ‘weak state’ was democratically elected by the Greek people. He’s not a fan of democracy though, it tends to get in the way of his ‘grand plans’.
I think the phrase you were looking for is ‘there can be no democratic choice against the European treaties’.
That’s right, he said that. And don’t forget this one: “when it gets serious, you need to lie”.
I’m surprised he’s not drinking. It’s his usual MO.
It’s a tricky Sicilian styled Cafe Corretto to hide the Metaxa inside and the Tsipouro is hidden in his water.
Brilliant! that’s why he is the President. Because he is brilliant!