European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker advised Greek PM Alexis Tsipras to retain amicable relations with other politicians, from the podium of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises during his speech. ‘Alexis, your government will not be the last one, more will come after you. I advise you to be on good terms with the rest’, Juncker told Tsipras.
The EC President lauded the determination of the Greek people during the economic crisis once more, while reminding the audience of the difficult struggle to keep Greece in the common currency. He estimated that the Troika had evolved into a more democratic institution denying that any austerity measures were being implemented across Europe, claiming the data showed otherwise.
Juncker expressed the view that the adjustment program was a great opportunity for Greece to restructure and reform its economy. ‘Solidarity goes together with responsibility. Greece has one last chance to realise the program’, he warned.
On the matter of the restructuring of the Greek debt, Juncker said that the choice of tools on how to proceed was up to the Greek government, as a restructuring mechanism was provided for. Finally, the EC President predicted that if the UK left the EU it would be isolated.
