EUCommission V-Pres. Rehn Spokesman 0'Connor+ EULeft Group Head Zimmer to EuroFora on Tsipras+Troika

 

*Strasbourg/EUParliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- EU Commission vice-President for Monetary/Economic affairs, Oli Rehn, pointed at "Structural Problems which remained unaddressed for many Years" in Greece and elsewhere, in his Reply to main Opposition party SYRIZA's Head, and leading contender to become EuroLeft's candidate (at a special Congress in Spain, this weekend) for new EU Commission's President at the forthcoming, May 2014 EU Parliament's Election, who had asked MEPs, yesterday in Strasbourg, for "a long Enquiry, on a wide range of issues, in order to find why erroneous choices were made, who was Responsible for that, and what must really change", on the occasion of the preparation of EU Parliament's Reports on the EU Commission/ECB/IMF "Troika" (See infra).

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     While Rehn reportedly pointed out that the "economic adjustment Programme  ....prevented the disorderly Default of the Greek State, which would have had devastating economic and social consequences for the Greek people", and, now, it "is helping to create the Conditions for Sustainable growth and job creation", on the contrary, Tsipras stressed that he presented, both to EU Parliament's co-Rapporteurs : Austrian EPP MEP Othmar Karas and French SD MEP Liem Hoang Ngoc, as well as to the competent Commissioner a kind of "Black Bible" for the Memorandum", and denounced the "Troika" (a slim team of EC/ECB/IMF Experts for Negotiations with EU Countries under Adjustment Programs) as "an institution without any Democratic Legitimacy, for which he would like EU Parliament to extend its initially scheduled Report by the Economic Affairs Committee also to the Social and other consequences of the current way to apply Austerity measures, in order to be able to conclude by making a critical appraisal of the current policies compared to alternatives, (Comp. also Infra).

But, as the President of EU Parliament's EuroLeft Group, Gabi Zimmer from Germany, told "EuroFora" just after the Presidents' Conference of Thursday Morning, finally, the ECO Committee declined to extend the scope of its initial Report on the "Troikas" (in all Countries concerned : f.ex. Greece, Portugal,  Ireland, Cyprus, etc), and, therefore, a kind of de facto compromise seems to have been agreed, with the Social affairs Committee accepting to start a a Parallel Report, at MEP's own Initiative, due to advance and be finally debated in public and voted by EU Parliament's Plenary principle, "at the same Time" with the ECON's main Report, offering thus an overall view, in a few Months.

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    In fact, it's those "unaddressed" Structural Problems "which were at the Root of the current Crisis", according to Oli Rehn, the EU Commission's Spokesman, Simon O'Connor stresed in a Note send to EU Media including "EuroFora" just after the meeting which took place at Noon, in EU Commission's offices at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, where, by a Symboilic Irony of the sort, Tispras and Rehn dealt with a "hot" "EuroZone" issue at a Building named after Brittish former Prime Minister Winston "Churchil"...

Questioned by "EuroFora" if Rehn's key-mention concerned mainly the fact that Greek State's Public Sector had become since the 1980ies  notoriously disproportionate compared to the country's Productive Private Business area, due to clientelist/Nepotist former Government's massive appointments of cushy-job holders/political Lackeys, which had started to provoke an excessive Public Debt Problem already during the crucial 1999-2003 period, when the entry of Greece to the €uroArea had been decided Earlier than normal, i.e. even before Athens did the necessary Reforms, (in exchange for Greece to close its eyes on Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU "Candidacy", admitted almost at the same time by mainly "Socialist" former Governments of big EU Countries at the December 1999 Helsinki EU Summit),

 the competent EU Commission's Spokesman for Economic and Monetary affairs, admitted, indeed, that Vice-President Rehn's reference to such "Structural Problems", ""obviously" included "the Reform of the Public Sector in Greece, which is one of the Core elements in the (Economic Adjustment) Program",  while the mention of "many years" in the Past, was, indeed, related to "problems (which) were Building up, in many cases during these years" (of 1999-2003), "and in some cases, even Earlier", (i.e. since 1981-2011)....

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    But their Harsh Consequences continue to unfold even now : F.ex., according to the latest available reports, between August and September 2013, the number of Enterprises which were obliged to cross a "Red" line, by becoming unable to pay a growing number of various Taxes, suddenly jumped up from  182.785, adding + 343.692 more in only one (1) Month, until it reached 546.477 Businesses ! In addition, Recession instead of Growth has notoriously hit hard the Greek Economy until now, reducing even further State's normal Tax revenues.

Moreover, at almost the same time, the EU/ECB/IMF "Troika" doesn't look convinced at all that by attacking, during this Autumn  2013 (for the 1st time in the History of the Country), even Poor People's Home, (including of those who are jobless, deprived of revenues, sick, etc), the State might get only 2,65 Billions € in one year, as it claims... Tsipras reportedly added in Strasbourg his voice to those of various other Politicians or Economists who warn that a proposed Introduction, for the 1st time in the History of the country, of a possibility to oblige Poor People to sell into Auctions even the unique Family Home that they might possess as a fruit of Hard Economies for Generations, would be a socio-political "Red Line" with unpredictable consequences in terms of Social InJustice and Political Troubles. Particularly when so Harsh Measures against Poor People would be added to the 2010  Abolition of basic Free Health Care, to an explosion of Unemployment, to the unprecedented appearance of many People suffering from lack of Food and/or malnutrition, while others commit Suicide, at the same time that even Young Children started to atrociously Die by manifold consequences of Electricity Cuts during Winter (etc)...

But, on the contrary, if at least 1 out of 4 among the notoriously surnumerary (particularly compared to the Tiny private Productive Sector of the Greek Economy) State Agents of the Public Sector (almost .. 50% of the National Economy !), were dismissed, for having scandalously being appointed by former Clientelist and/or Nepotist Governments, mainly of PASOK+, during the period of crucial 3 Decades 1981-2011+ which provoked the emergence of that Huge Debt,  i.e. the bulk of the counter-productive cushy-job holders and/or abusive political Lackeys, over-paid for Decades, several of whom have also been involved in Corruption and other, even more serious Crimes, i.e. all in all, some 250.000 individuals out of nearly 1 Million of Civil Servants, (while, at any case, ensuring them a basic revenue and health care, except from condemned Criminals), then, given an average Salary/Pension of about 2.100 € per Month reportedly prevailing currentlly allover Public Sectors' Employees), the Greek State could Save more than ... 6,825 Billions € each Year, (to which should be Added also the Loans' Interests also saved, i.e. reaching more than 7,166 Billions per year in all) !

Comparatively, the next Part of EU Loans to the Greek State, (initially scheduled for December 2013), is estimated to Less than 5 Billions € : I.e. wouldn't be needed at all, (and Greece would even have Saved more than + 2,2 Billions in addition to that) !..  As a possible Alternative, then, if the Greek State paid back its Debt with those Savings of about 7,2 Billions each Year (Comp. Supra : to which should be Added also + almost another Half Billion € per Year in Loans' Interests, that Greece can avoid by adopting the above mentioned radical measures), then, it's even all that Huge Public Debt of some 340 Billions € which could totally "Melt" like Ice under the Sun and  vanish in just 4 Years and a few Months' time...

+ Even more important in real practice : If this was really done under the Flag of an adequate Anti-Corruption campaign, aiming to "Clean" the State from all kind of serious Waste, Abuses, Corruption and other Crimes committed during the last 30 Years which provoked that Huge Debt (1981-2011), then, whatever Government would succeed that, could certainly attract a Big Popular Support, among a large Absolute Majority of Greek People, who would give them a Strong Political Mandate to complete all necessary reforms for a Renaissance of the Greek State, (and this could also become, if not entirely, at least partly, an inspiring example also for various other EU or third Countries in similar situations).

All Polls since 2011-2013 clearly Reveal that a Large Majority of Greek People, from various political horizons, has one main big point in common : A legitimate WIsh to find and Punish all those who are really Responsible for that Huge Debt which  emerged at the lime Lights all out of a sudden, and threw the Country and its People into a quasi-Catastrophic situation, most of them paying a too High Price in their everyday Lives, for Errors and/or Crimes that they didn't commit at all, while, at the same time, on the contrary, those who profited from the Blunders which undermined the Economy and had initially endangered even €uroZone, still remain practically Unpunished, (and some of them even persist to usurpate more and more Public Funds, inaddition to what they've already done for Decades, through undeserved State "Salaries", "Pensions", etc)..

Added to the notorious fact that several among them, have also committed in the Past various Corruption and/or other Abuses and serious Crimes during these same last 30 Years (1981-2011+), whose Victims have been largely Hindered, in real practice, from finding Timely an Efficient Remedy that would have enabled them to Ask for Justice, considering also all those various Time Deadlines, Prescriptions, and other Bureaucratic Obstacles and attempts to Hide sometimes even Worst Crimes, in addition to manifold other Scandals which notoriously, stil remain totally or partially unresolved and/or covered up, it's obvious that in Greece, Today, real Economic Efficiency, Democracy and Political attractivity have become almost synonymous with adequate Justice !

That's why when Rehn denounced, earlier Today in EU Parliament in Strasbourg, the fact that, "at the root" of the current situation, are certain "structural Problems" which "remained unaddressed for many years" (Comp. Supra), then, Tsipras, as a Greek, should have been among the first to understand that Nothing among the various Other Measures that he reportedly proposed, (f.ex. a new "Restructuring of the Public Debt, writing off a big part of Loans, Moratorium on Payments", etc) might ever be sufficient in such a case : Not only because of Economic and/or Political, Legal, a.o. obstacles, but also  on Moral and Socio-Political grounds, since it would be practically tantamount into definitively Covering Up even various Abuses, Corruption and/or other Crimes committed by several among these same cushy-joh holders/political Lackeys, scandalously appointed at the Public Sector during the last 3 Decades (1981-2011 etc), and who have already provoked too Heavy Sufferings to the detriment of their various Victims, to the point that the latter's "Thirst for Justice" inevitably reminds, mutatis-mutandis the Ancient Greece's gloomy spectacle of the Scary ...Furies ("Erinyes"), the infamous figures responding to Victims' desperate calls for "Vengeance" in classic Tragedies....

As it is well known, f.ex. by World-famous Aischylos' Tragedy of "Oresteia", written almost at one of the Best Periods of Ancient Athens' Democracy,  - just after the Historic Victories of Marathon and  Salamina battles, etc., which notoriously saved Europe from threatening Military Invasions and Occupations by Asian (Persian) Armies - it's reportedly a Divine Intervention of New Goddess "Athena", which finally succeeded to convince the angry Furies (Erinyes) of Old, brutal Vengeance, to completely Change, and transform themselves into Peaceful and Democratic Institutions of "JUSTICE", rendered through impartial and Independent Courts, with the participation of Popular Juries, after Public, transparent Debates and Legal Procedures resulting precisely into what we call Today, (f.ex. in the European Convention of Human Rights' Article 6), as "FAIR TRIAL".

Thus, Tsipras, (who curiously "Forgets" too often even to speak about Responsibilities and Crimes committed in the Past by those who practically brought, profited and often still profit from the Dramatic Situation into which many People have been thrown in Greece), should normally know quite well that nobody can pretend to really Shape the Future in a sustainable way, while, at the sam time, totally "Forgetting" all what happened into the Past, as if History (which, on the contrary, links the Past to the Future, in one way or in another), had ceased to exist !

Simply because, by doing that, in addition to an Economic Inefficiency, he also risks to throw the Country back to the old, brutal Furies ("Erinyes"), i.e. to violent conflicts, Anti-Democratic behaviors/Oppression, various Extremisms, etc., by depriving Greek People not only from an Economically Efficient Solution, but even from an elementary Justice, able to find and punish those Responsible for the present Greek Tragedy, thanks to a Fair Trial (Comp. Supra)...

=> All pertinent facts clearly indicate, indeed, that it's only by Adequately Combining together, Economic Efficiency with elementary Socio-Political and Moral Justice, that a sustainable Solution can be really found in Greece's case.

 Otherwise, it all inevitably  Risks to prove Right those who accuse Tsipras' party "SYRIZA" to be, in fact, just an amass from previously ... clientelist PASOK remnants/residus, attempting to Hide themselves, (as various Comic Cartoons abudantly illustrate, f.ex. by calling his Party ..."PASOKOSYRIZA", and/or by picturing Former PASOK's Office furniture under the Sign : - "REMOVED TO SYRIZA", etc)....

- To put it in a nutshell : It not at all enough for Tsipras to simply denounce "the Tragic Consequences of ...Barbaric Measures of Economies in Greece during the 3 last years", as he said on his meeting here with Rehn, speaking in general, both for long-time Civil Servants and for Poor Unemployed People :

Simply because, in fact, there is Nothing in Common between f.ex. that poor young Girl Sarah, aged only 13, living with her Unemployed Mother aged 54 from Serbia, and an isolated Old Man aged 85, who both brutaly Died recently in Greece shortly after Electricity was Cut at their Homes since they didn't have enough Money to pay for it, and the - absolutely Differend, even Opposed - case of those Employees of the Public Electricity Company (DEH : part of the State's sector), who had decided and executed the Power Cut even during a Harsh Winter, in order for the State to have enough Money to pay their Salaries, most of them being Cushy-job holders for Decades, and/or even political Lackeys of former Clientelist/Nepotist mainly PASOK Governments of the Past, with Fat Salaries going up to almost ..3.000 € per Month in Average for merely holding a University Diploma whatever, even with the Lowest degrees, and/or in unrelated/largely useless areas, - or else getting as much as ... some 4.000  € monthly in average for any, even the lowest Engineer Diploma;  (F.ex. we personaly know some concrete cases of DEH Employees who were suddenly appointed just after a mere ... Phone Call by a relative with personal "connexions", many years ago, and are now at their 3rd or 4rth House for Holidays, near the Seaside, watching Color TV Screens and spending a Fat"Pension" paid from the State sector, after Decades of greedy, mostly undeserved Salaries which have resulted in more and more Public Debt !)...

Such useless but greedy leeches must Stop drinking the Blood of Productive Economy and of Poor People, with whom they have nothing in common, but are, on the contrary, directly opposed.  "Social" consequencies of sometimes Harsh Austerity Measuers should not be an Hypocritical cover-up for those who exploit for many years the extremely fragile situation in which have been thrown their own victims.....         
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    Meanwhile, Greek Communist Party's chief Koutsoumbas reportedly denounced SYRIZA as "the long hand of EU's Imperialism inside the Labor Movement of European Countries, aiming to manipulate the Popular forces", and accused Tsipras to "distribute, at right and left, certificates of loyalty and obedience to Monopolistic circles, in order to ensure their support as their Lackey for Greece", inter alia also by trying to accredit the idea that "a so-called "EU with a Human face"" might be possible, as he said.

    EuroLeft Group's President in EU Parliament, German MEP Gabi Zimmer, speaking later to "EuroFora", (Comp. also a larger Interview she gave to "EuroFora", due to be published as part of a forthcoming Series before the May 2014 EU Elections), basically, as a matter of General Principle, prefered to abstain from taking a part in possible Differences between the various National Parties which compose EuroLeft, and focused, instead, on her wish to Struggle for a much more Social Europe, where People's voice would be better Heard, and expressed her belief that this would bring more EU Citizens to Participate to the Next European Elections and considerably strengthen her Group inside EU Parliament.
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 It's almost an estimated 15 minutes-long that apparently was the meeting between the Vice-President of the European Commission and SYRIZA Party's Chief, behind closed doors, organized "at the demand of Mr. Tsipras", as "EuroFora" found out on the spot: Indeed, the officially announced Time was 12.15, but when we managed to get there, just after EU Parliamenht's votes, it was already nearly 2 p.m., and Rehn's assistants told us that Tsipras had already left "a least Half an Hour before" (sic !)...
But the eventual perspective of "Organized Political Debates" in Public, "in the run up to the forthcoming European Elections", about which Rehn and Tsipras had "an occasion to exchange views" in Strasbourg, while speaking about a better "Democratisation of the EU", as the latter declared here afterwards, might, perhaps, help to better Clarify each one's real Stance on such main Issues...

This could obviously become even more politically "Spicy", if Tsipras and Rehn become both Candidates of their respective European Poilitical Parties for the Top Job of EU Commission's new President, due to be determined also via the forthcoming May 2014 EU Elections. 

For Tsipras, tje decision is scheduled to be taken during the coming Week-End in Spain, by a special Congress of EuroLeft, while, on the contrary, the EU Liberals have yet to decide, later-on, mainly between Rehn and the experienced Politician, former Prime Minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, current Chair of the Liberal Group of MEPs in EU Parliament