Athens becomes EU 'protectorate'

Published on 4 July 2011 at 11:15

Cover

"Brussels commision men in ministries," headlines the centre-left Greek daily To Ethnos, which leads with remarks made by the Eurogroup president Jean-Claude Juncker published in the German magazineFocuson July 3. They leave no room for doubt: both Greece's economy and its budgetary decisions are now under supervision. An austerity plan for 2012-2015 has been adopted by Parliament, the EU has given the green light for the release of another 12 million euros from the loan earmarked for Greece last year, and now, says To Ethnos, "Europe wants results". "A kind of protectorate is now in place," the Athens daily writes, "with representatives whose first job will be to supervise the application of the privatisation programme. They will be expecting us to send a strong signal."

Tags

Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!

It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.

Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!

Are you a news organisation, a business, an association or a foundation? Check out our bespoke editorial and translation services.

Support independent European journalism

European democracy needs independent media. Join our community!

On the same topic