MEP Alfred Sant has told the European Parliament that “Greece could be as dangerous as the Ukraine unless it is treated with farsightedness.”

Alfred Sant made this statement at the key debate in plenary at the European Parliament in Strasbourg ahead of today’s informal meeting of the EU’s Heads of states in Brussels who will discuss the situation in Ukraine, the fight against terrorism and the monetary and economic union. Sant said that in reality the informal meeting has two items on its agenda – the situation in the Ukraine and Greece.

Alfred Sant said that at the initial stages of negotiations with Greece, if any take place, brinkmanship could fast become the order of the day. If taken too far, this could lead to an unforgivable collapse.

He said the bailout plan for Greece has not worked. It has imposed too many sufferings on the Greek people. Therefore it must be radically restructured. “Perhaps too the eurozone has to be restructured over the medium term even if this will initially appear to be a weakening of the EU’s immense soft power in Europe and elsewhere.”

“If negotiations with Greece are to go beyond brinkmanship, the values that must be asserted need to go beyond technical considerations to tap the sources of a meaningful solidarity,” Sant said.

Alfred Sant said that Governments, which have lent billions of their citizens’ monies, cannot be expected to write off those amounts overnight. “However the people of Greece cannot be expected to give up for too long the prospects of a decent life. They only have one to live.”

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