On July 16th, 2015, MEPs debate, at the EP Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, on the Euro Summit agreement on Greece. Extracts from statements by Roberto GUALTIERI (S&amp;D, IT), Georgios KYRTSOS (EPP, EL), Maria Joao RODRIGUES (S&amp;D, PT), Notis MARIAS (ECR, EL), Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS (GUE/NGL, CY), Ana Gomes (S&amp;D, PT).

Brussels

RODRIGUES, Maria João (S&D, PT)

debate

MARIAS, Notis (ECR, EL)

KYRTSOS, Georgios (Renew, EL)

GUALTIERI, Roberto (S&D, IT)

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

economic situation in Greece (T)

GOMES, Ana (S&D, PT)

PAPADIMOULIS, Dimitrios (The Left, EL)

Euro Summit 12 July 2015 (T)

Debate on the Euro Summit agreement on Greece at EP Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs : Extracts from MEPs statements

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberto GUALTIERI (S&amp;D, IT), ECON Chair, The whole story tell us how inefficient is the intergovernmental method. ESM is not a union institution, ESM use national money ruled by national parliaments, requires unanimity, and exacerbate internal political dynamics of a single member state, while the Community method has emphasise the common European dimension and its more keen to provide compromise methodology.

SOUNDBITE (English), Georgios KYRTSOS (EPP, EL), The new measures that are proposed are aimed to stabilise the Greek economy but are not aimed to develop the Greek economy, and we need economic development. In Greece we keep penalising the productive private sector, in order to avoid structural changes in the state sector. This has to change - it's very difficult with a left wing government - they have to make a new start, otherwise we will be here discussing the same problems in the next 3 or 4 or 5 months' time.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maria Jo&#227;o RODRIGUES (S&amp;D, PT), We were much closer to a fair deal, a sustainable deal, and this outcome was deride because all of a suuden a wrong political method was used. We could see this clearly between Saturday and Sunday, the community method was just forgotten, and the intergovernmental method was used forcefully, to come up with a different kind of solutions. The Commission took a much more secondary role, and the EP could not play the role which it deserved.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Notis MARIAS (ECR, EL), The Troika tried to get its hands on the assets of Greece, 25 billion euros of that have to be used for the recapitalisation of the banks. Let us hope that this will work for the banks, and that they will not be all closed down. Now we have the question of privatisations. For example regional airports are going to be bought over by the German company Fraport, and then there is the port of Thessaloniki. So the Troika is taking over the sovereignty of Greece in this way. The arguments '&agrave; la Sch&auml;uble' simply shocks the foundation of the Eurozone we are dividing the Eurozone between lenders and borrowers.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS (GUE/NGL, CY), It is unfair, it is unjust for ideological reasons to continue to burden a government who is in place for only 5 months for the mistakes of 40 years. This is a programme, therefore now, which the Greece government - despite all that - is determined to take forward even if a lot of those methods are punitive, they have accepted them. But we have to look in the mirror here, did the the European Parliament play any role in these negotiations? None. Did the Commission play a decisive role? No, it was secondary.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS (GUE/NGL, CY), Who played the primary role? the German government and its allies. They have a very, very strong punitive logic. They have forgotten what happened at Versailles after the second World War. The German people where then able to benefit from the conditions of the time, and that produced the German miracle. But what about the Greeks? Even today Mr Sch&auml;uble is insisting on Grexit. If you really want the good of Greece, and the good of Greek people, that the word Grexit have to be absolutely deleted from your vocabulary.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana GOMES (S&amp;D, PT), I think that there is no ownership, neither from Mr Tsipras, nor from Mr. Sch&auml;uble, because this agreement is not an agreement at all. It's an ultimatum; it's absurd economically; it's unfair; it's cruel; it's not feasible; it's a shame, it's incompatible with the EU funding principles! And even worst, this settlement has been made on the humiliating ultimatum to have Greece out of the Eurozone. This is it illegal, this is monstrous. This montrous regime actually is changing the EU.

The debt is indeed the central question, and I really hope that this committee in particular, which is having particular responsibilities, will eventually uphold the Parliament's position and will make indeed the community matter be there, namely to solve the central question which is the debt. Where is the European Commission, when for instance this report of the IMF that highlighted the question of the debt, was put under the table just before the referendum, and it was on the pressure of the Americans, that the IMF put it out.

I think it's outrageous, and I appeal to our German colleagues, from the left and from the right, those who are indeed pro-europeans: read the New York Times editorial of today. The title is: Germany's destructive anger. Europe is being destroyed. The confidence of its citizens in Europe is being destroyed. We have a tremendous responsibility. Yes, time out - not for Greece - time out for Dr Strange Laugh who is working to destroy Euro and EU, and the confidence of the citizens in the Union.