×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Thursday
16
Apr 2026
weather symbol
Athens 19°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> Economy

Y. Dragasakis recognizes loans, but wants change

The lawmaker likely to become Greece's next finance minister said that Greece will never recover without a generous debt cut

Newsroom January 21 07:57

Main Opposition Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) party economic policy maker Yiannis Dragasakis said that his party recognizes Greece’s loan agreements and public debts, however wants adjustments made to both. Speaking at the Economist Conference on Tuesday, the senior economist of the anti-austerity party said that the possibility of recovery for Greece is limited due to its debt that is 175% of its national output at nearly 320 billion euros ($371 billion).

His party hopes to tread the delicate line between fiscal diligence and debt forgiveness in a plan to renegotiate the country’s multi-billion bailout deal with the troika of international creditors from the European Commission (EC), European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “We recognize that the country is bound by loan agreements but we want these to be reviewed,” he said during the conference, arguing that his party wants there to be “change” in Europe, not “destruction.” He said that SYRIZA is interested in discovering how Greek debt was created and in entering negotiations over it.

>Related articles

Tourism: Strong demand for the Greek tourist industry – Fragility due to the Middle East

Stavros Konstantinidis (MAKVEL – Eurimac): from a deal on a napkin to an export powerhouse

Pierrakakis on CNBC: Possibly the largest energy crisis in history

IMF Chief Christine Lagarde on Monday warned that there would be “consequences” for countries changing the terms of their agreements. On his part, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble said that any country that wants the European Stability Mechanism’s support would need to agree to the troika’s supervision.

During his Economist Conference speech, Mr. Dragasakis said:
* There will be a new government with SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras at the helm.
* Once in government, SYRIZA would recognize that there are loan contracts that the country is bound by but it wouldre-examine these.
* The country has huge debt, but the party wants to scrutinize where this debt came from.
* The memorandum consists of a series of letters of intent from the government and are not a commitment, but it was enforced by blackmail.
* SYRIZA will ask for time from its European partners so that it can present its plan that includes a new fiscal program that would be focused on Growth and would include a proposal for debt.
* SYRIZA respects the EU institutions even in cases where it disagrees and there is no Greek-German difference.

Speaking to Proto Thema, Mr. Dragasakis said that the elections have occured so that policies can change. “That is the difference between democracy and dictatorship, and they are obliged to listen,” he said. He clarified that a SYRIZA government would not negotiate with Troika representatives and would investigate why 86% of loans received for Greece went to buying bonds.

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

> More Economy

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

KLM cancels 160 flights due to rising fuel costs

April 16, 2026

Myrto’s mother was on duty at the hospital on the fatal night: “She saw her child dead,” says a friend of the 19-year-old

April 16, 2026

Cuba is ready for any military attack, says President Miguel Díaz-Canel

April 16, 2026

An American compares the U.S. healthcare system with Greece’s NHS (ESY), in a video posted by Adonis Georgiadis

April 16, 2026

Lesvos counts millions in damages due to foot-and-mouth disease: port blocked, cheese factories shut down, cancellations also in tourism

April 16, 2026

Trump: Lebanon and Israel agree to a 10-day ceasefire

April 16, 2026

AHI and Georgetown University host event on Cyprus division and paths to unity

April 16, 2026

Mystery of the “liquid cement” in Kypseli solved: It is a special foam with chemicals, explains Metro company

April 16, 2026
All News

> Greece

In reverence, the emotional deposition in Jerusalem, see photos & video

The Holy Temple of the Resurrection opened after many days due to the war between Israel and Iran

April 10, 2026

In the final stretch for the accreditation of joint master’s degrees: Aiming for their launch in the coming academic year

April 10, 2026

Schedule for Epitaph Procession today (10/4)

April 10, 2026

Perfect weather for Easter excursions, according to Tsatrafyllia’s forecast

April 10, 2026

Easter in Greece: The customs that continue in Greek tradition – From Nafpaktos to Corfu

April 10, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα