Greece: aid is prejudiced
GERMANY’S hard line on aid for Greece has been based on a “moral, racial approach” and the prejudice that Greeks don’t work enough, Greek deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos said yesterday.
Pangalos also told a Portuguese newspaper that German leaders were too focused on catering to domestic voters at a time when the European Union required solidarity.
Polls show Germans are overwhelmingly against a financial bailout for Greece. Chancellor Angela Merkel has ensured that tough conditions were attached to any such aid.
“Some countries like Germany have taken a moral approach to our problem,” Pangalos said.
Pangalos said this approach was “ridiculous” and failed to take into account strong productivity gains in Greek industry and agriculture. “This is a moral, racial approach that does not correspond to reality,” he said.