The Committe on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) exchange of views on the economic situation in Greece and on the role of the European Parliament in the European economic governance, in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Brussels

exchange of views

EU - Greece (T)

BERÈS, Pervenche (S&D, FR)

economic governance (T)

economic situation in Greece (T)

GIEGOLD, Sven (Greens/EFA, DE)

FORD, Vicky (ECR, UK)

PODIMATA, Anni (S&D, EL)

GARCÍA-MARGALLO Y MARFIL, José Manuel (EPP, ES)

BOWLES, Sharon (ALDE, UK)

Economic situation in Greece: extracts from the exchange of views

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/18751546/ebs70136Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (English), Sharon BOWLES (ALDE, UK), Chair of the ECON Committee, I have to say its a matter of great regret to me that when I sent out the invitation immediatly after the adoption of that recommendation in February and here in we are in May that this is not yet acted upon and I take a very deemed view on the fact that Members of the EP in the ECON Committee are left to having to obtain their information from the newpapers rather tan then having the responsible Member of the presidency come to explain it to us.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sharon BOWLES (ALDE, UK), Chair of the ECON Committee, The role of the Parliamenthas not still been clarified we do have some addtional responsibilities under the new Treaty and despite making request at the moment we are srtill been ignored, if I could put it that way, I can't find anymore polite to put it at the moment.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Jos&#233; Manuel GARC&#205;A-MARGALLO Y MARFIL (EPP, ES), I don't understand why the Secretary of State and Vice President is not here with us today.On wedensday last week was the first time I had a meeting with the Council. Until that time I didn't know what the intentions of the Council were; so it is difficult to get a position so that we can get a vote on the first round , that is what we would have liked . I think we should exercise our authority so that Parliament can be heard in due form.

SOUNDBITE (French), Pervenche BER&#200;S (S&amp;D, FR), We should try to do something that we would have liked the Council to have done. What ever the qualities of Mr Van Rompuy the expertise, know how and ambition and the willingness there. There is an issue of what is going on with this de facto intergovernmental Conference? and that is the last thing we need . We need to have the capacity to bring together the collective Europeaninterest and to have a vision on what the community added value is; I suggest tat we should take the inititiavtive as the PE here assuming our responsibilities with our own Secretariat by pulling together a high level working group to in parallel work out some proposals that can feed into the debate on the basis of academic expertise, social partners, legal experts which will then feed into the general debate and to ensure we avoid a narrow intergovernmental Conference.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Anni PODIMATA (S&amp;D, EL), This is the strictest most stringent programme I have ever seen in Europe; the programme is seeing welter of cuts expenditure in the public sector , reduction in what pensioners will get 8% cut in the pay to people working on the public sector, tax rises, icreases in consumer taxes on cigarettes and all sorts of things, anew designed tax system social security, structural changes, let me rise on point . it is very important all of this. the prgramme has been annouced by the Troika and the savings have to be matched at the whole time against targets that havae been set it is an extreme difficult business and I would I say that the approach is risky and colleagues in Greece need to support the programme.

SOUNDBITE (English), Vicky FORD (ECR, UK), On a wider point I think this shows exactly why countries with large deficits like the UK do take decisive actions to repair their public finances not just to restore market confidence, nut also to maintain public confidence and the confidence of the people who elect us in this Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sven GIEGOLD (Greens/EFA, DE), What I criticize in this IMF programme os that on the question of wealth which is the other side of debt there is nothing done. Where is fromyour government? where is the wealth, the payment of wealth of Greek people who have put money aside doing corrupt and clientelistic proceedings, where is this wealth in order to bring down the public debt?