Ahead of tomorrow’s summit on Greece, Alternattiva Demokratika Chairperson, Prof. Arnold Cassola, said, “tomorrow’s meeting in Brussels is crucial. It is evident that the loans obtained by Greece from other countries, including Malta, should and must be honoured to the full. However, we should be open to giving the Greeks more breathing space in order to be able to pay back their loans without increasing the dimension of the social crisis affecting the whole country.”

European Parliament Greens/EFA co-presidents Rebecca Harms and Philippe Lamberts cautiously welcomed news that the two sides are close to finding an agreement.

They commented, “after months of tensions and mutual accusations, there is now hope for a solution between Greece and the other euro area Member States. With the Greek government having made a new proposal, both sides must seize the moment and together draw up a workable, responsible solution at tomorrow’s summit. This is the biggest opportunity yet for finding a solution.”

“The Governments of the other euro area Member States and the European Commission must now uphold their part of the bargain. They must agree to a restructuring of the Greek debt and for example, a lowering of the interest rates. Moreover, the repayments must be linked to Greece’s economic development. They should also launch an investment plan in order to support the Greek economy towards a sustainable recovery and help it withstand the negative repercussions of the budgetary consolidation measures agreed for 2015 and 2016.”

Rebecca Harms and Philippe Lamberts concluded, “in addition to this, the Greek Government should, unlike its predecessors, ensure that the state institutions start functioning effectively again. Furthermore, the pension system must be made fairer and all Greek citizens must have a right to receive sickness or unemployment benefit.”

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