Speaking at the annual Progressive Economy Forum today in Brussels, Gianni Pittella said:
“We need to find a final agreement for Greece. If we don’t, there will be a domino effect. It will open up fierce speculation and it will have a negative impact on the euro and Europe as a whole. It will be the beginning of the end for the eurozone.
“I warn those who would like to use the Greek crisis to build a new model for the eurozone, a two speed eurozone which would split the weakest from the strongest, this is not the kind of Europe we want.”
As guest speaker of the Forum, renowned economist, Thomas Piketty underlined:
“The Greek crisis is not a technical problem but a political issue. Just repaying debt through decades of fiscal surplus makes no sense. A small fiscal surplus of 1% of GDP would be already enough. The restructuring of the Greek debt as with the debt of other Eurozone countries will have to happen.”
Representatives of NGOs and civil society and S&D Euro MPs including S&D vice presidents Maria Joao Rodrigues (economy and monetary affairs), Isabelle Thomas (budget) and Kathleen van Brempt (sustainable development) discussed the issue how to drive the transition to sustainable growth and to quality jobs.
The Progressive Economy Forum – an initiative of the socialists and democrats’ Group in the European Parliament – is an event where speakers come with refreshing opinions and ideas to rethink the future of our society.