The new German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) has announced a new course in European politics and spoke quite clear words about Greece and the debt relief. In an interview with German “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, the finance minister and vice chancellor in new German government said developments in Greece are a “reason for optimism.”
Scholz said he did not think it was necessary to play the role of discipline-master to keep the government in Athens on track for reforms.
It looks as if the government and people are on this course, he added. However, he will continue to talk to the Greek government to ensure that it maintains its reform path which is also a precondition for the debt relief.
Greece is expected to conclude the fiscal adjustment program in August. Then it should also be decided whether the lenders will grant debt relief, Scholz said. However, he left open whether he would agree with that. One must wait for the further developments, he said.
PS it is the first time since 2010, Greeks hear a German finance minister speaking out the word “optimism” in the same sentence with “Greece”.
It is because the “optimism” only applies to the German banksters and the ECB, not to the people of Greece!