Juncker criticizes Merkel over handling of Greece’s debt crisis
September 24, 2021
Former European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has criticized outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s reaction to Greece’s debt crisis, saying that her “hesitations” and “reluctance” undermined efforts to deal with the situation.
“I think her biggest failure was the reluctance she showed during the Greek crisis because of her hesitations and her reluctance, we were losing time. Greece could have been helped earlier,” Juncker told Euronews in an interview Thursday.
Juncker said he often clashed with Merkel about Greece because her own parliamentary group and the German media “did not respect the dignity of the Greek people.”
“I was telling her that Greece was different from the view she had on Greece,” he said.
Referring to former finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble’s proposal for a temporary exit of Greece from the eurozone, Juncker said Merkel never really shared that idea.
“But she never was denying the usefulness of that idea… She thought that this could lead us into troubled waters with Italy and some others,” he said.
What’s Angela Merkel’s biggest failure and achievement?
Former EU Commission president @JunckerEU reflects on the outgoing German chancellor’s European legacy and praises her leadership.
Watch more on #GlobalConversation: https://t.co/zsXFEooqnz pic.twitter.com/ejLJcej1t9
— euronews (@euronews) September 24, 2021
PS even my youngest cat – born in the first half of 2015 – can remember that Juncker-call-me-Pontius-Pilatus and “I’m here for the shrimps”-Jean-Claude…
despite demonstrating philellenism …
did everything that Merkel wanted and handed over to left-wing government a 12-volume encyclopedia in form of a third bailout agreement.
Published at www.keeptalkinggreece.com
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