Samaras at Helm of Europe Advised Against Push for Better Deal
James G. Neuger and Jonathan Stearns, Bloomberg, 18.12.2013
Quotes
Memo to Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras: don’t press too hard in public during your European Union presidency for a better bailout deal, say veterans of the EU job.
Samaras has two goals for the first half of 2014 when crisis-scarred Greece takes the position that rotates among the 28 EU nations every six months: win debt relief and, by doing so, keep his shaky government in power. [...]
European Parliament politicking, the depressed economy and unrelenting pressure from creditors for painful economic reforms breed the potential for a “political accident,” said Janis Emmanouilidis, director of studies at the European Policy Centre in Brussels and a regular visitor to Greece.
“It’s a politically volatile situation, so Samaras is using every opportunity to showcase that he’s the man who enjoys a certain degree of trust of his European counterparts and has access to the centers of power in Europe,” Emmanouilidis said.
Link to original text at Kathimerini (English edition) here
Link to original text at Bloomberg here
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