Eurozone leaders arrived for a truly “make-or-break” summit on Sunday afternoon in Brussels, as the dilemma now clearly emerged between approving cash-for-reforms or … Grexit.
In entering the Eurozone summit, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras noted that he was ready for an “honorable compromise. We owe it to the citizens of Europe, who want to see it united and not shattered. We can reach a compromise today, if all (parties) want this.”
Francois Hollande: “France is ready to do whatever possible for Greece to remain in the euro …”
He told reporters the European leaders must decide on the very concept of Europe and what the continent’s interests are, “what we have in common”.
“What’s at stake is Europe. It’s not about the future of Greece, it’s the concept we have of Europe. There is Grexit or no Grexit; Greece is in the eurozone or out of it, but if it out of it, it’s Europe that is shrinking.”
The French leader also underlined that there is no issue of a “temporary Grexit”, the Schauble proposal being floated around Europe on Sunday.
Merkel
Angela Merkel: “The situation is very difficult”, she told reporters when entering the conference room.
“It does not surprise me, the siutation is very difficult. From what I know, the Eurogroup is not in a position to give us one and only document … something more than a currency has been lost; trust has been lost; today we’ll hold tough negotiations”.
She also stressed that she’s uninterested in an “agreement for an agreement’s sake”. “We must see the pros and cons, and we must be sure that the pros are more than the cons, not just for Greece but for the other countries.”
EP President Martin Schulz:
“We must reach an agreement today and I believe we will, as the future of Europe is at stake”
Commission head Juncker
EU Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker echoed the French position on Sunday, saying he’ll “fight until the very last millisecond” for a deal that keeps Greece in the euro.
Faymann: Schaeuble wants to take Greece out of euro
The Federal Chancellor of Austria, Werner Faymann directly pointed at Wolfgang Schauble as the “culprit”, in comments to the Österreich daily . He nevertheless added that he believes German Chancellor Angela Merkel is making great efforts to find a constructive solution. Faymann reiterated that Grexit should be avoided.
Lew for ‘Uncle Sam’
Earlier, Tsipras spoke by phone with US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, with the former reportedly stressing that Greece wants a eurozone bailout but one that “respects the Greek people”.
He also said his government has tabled a serious and sustainable proposal.
Italy’s Renzi
In arriving at the summit, Italian PM Matteo Renzi reiterated that “there’s a great need for Europe to go back to do what it needs to do”.
Renzi, who’s been more favorable to Athens’ positions, said differences between the Greek side and creditors “are not just details,” but that the distance between the two sides “has been greatly lessened.”
EU Commissioner Moscovici
European Commissioner Pierre Moscovici commented that there was progress, but some issues are still open, speaking after the end of the Eurogroup meeting in Brussels. Greece must be reformed and must remain in the eurozone, he added.
Malta PM Joseph Muscat:
“The fact that this summit has been convened in itself shows a willingness to go the extra mile. This summit should have only been if we were discussion Plan B [of Grexit] but as far as I’m concerned we are discussing all options. We should rely on what the institutions (Euoprean Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund) have been saying and definitely what was enough 10 days ago might not be enough today because [the Greek economy] has deteriorated in a very rapid manner… Greece should be kept in the eurozone but not at any cost.”
Asked if there is unanimity among the eurozone leaders, he said “no”.
