Alexis Tsipras to Italian newspaper “Il Sole 24 Ore”: "Promoting growth key to ending austerity”

Published on Friday, 02 May 2014 13:07

To overcome the crisis, Alexis Tsipras calls for "the end of austerity, based on new policies that will promote growth."

In an interview with the Italian newspaper «Il Sole 24 Ore», the president of SYRIZA and candidate for president of the European Commission, Alexis Tsipras, discussed his views on austerity, and its effects on Greece and Europe, overall: "Austerity has not produced economically viable results, and has led to devastating consequences for society."

"Promoting competition based on austerity has destabilized the monetary union and lead to recession and unemployment,” stated Tsipras. Highlighting the situation in Greece, he continued, “Austerity caused a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions in a European country during peacetime. Since Greece signed the Memorandum, my country has sunk into poverty: according to the latest data from the Greek National Statistical Office, 34.6% of the population lives in poverty. According to an OECD study, approximately, 18% of people don’t have the necessary money for their purchase their prescription medicines."

Tsipras favors the redistribution of income for public investment in development projects in Greece. He also calls for a European «New Deal» that will promote investment in research, technology, infrastructure and social benefits in order to create permanent jobs with decent wages.

Commenting on European politics, Tsipras expressed his deep concern about the French far-right populist Marie Le Pen. He sees her rise as a “social phenomenon" in response to the "EU’s lack of transparency and bureaucracy, which has alienated citizens and in some cases, has induced, perhaps, feelings of hostility." Discussing the public spending reforms supported by Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, Tsipras points out that similar reforms in Greece have had staggeringly negative consequences. “Cuts in public spending are nothing more than a euphemism for austerity," he concluded.

Originally published: http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/notizie/2014-04-18/tsipras-un-new-deal-europeo-063826.shtml?uuid=ABJBr8BB