A quip by EU council president Donald Tusk that “the game is over” was met by Greek PM Alexis Tsipras’ response that “1.5 million unemployed, three million poor and thousands of families without income, living only with grandparents’ pensions, is not a game.
The quote widely circulated by Greek media, at least, has Tsipras warning partners “not to underestimate where a people can reach when it feels humiliated.”
The exchange, reportedly made at Thursday evening’s Euro summit, came after the end of another fruitless Eurogroup on the “Greek issue” — the latest in a long line of inconclusive meetings since late February.
Tsipras reportedly maintained that his side has tabled realistic proposals, in contrast to “proposals by the institutions, which unfortunately, reflect the most extreme positions expressed by the IMF.”
Nevertheless, the embattled Greek PM told partners that he’s committed to reforms in the social security sector, abolishing early retirement and merging of funds, pointing to a radical reform in October.
“You do not know what reducing pensions means for Greece,” was he statement, in defense of the social dimension of having pensions to prop up multiple families.
According to the German news agency MNI, Tsipras told European leaders that “certain circles don’t want an agreement”.
The same media source said Greece and its partners agreed that a solution will be taken at Saturday’s Eurogroup, with one Greek source commenting that “efforts are being made to bridge the gap”.
