In an interview with Ta Nea, his first with a Greek media outlet, the new president of the Eurogroup working group (EWG), Hans Vijlbrief, is absolutely clear.
He says that our country, after August, 2018, will be subject to enhanced supervision, because creditors want to ensure that Greek governments will not reverse reforms that have been agreed to. Greece, Vijlbrief says, is a “special case”.
There are two conclusions to be drawn from this. The first is that the image steadfastly portrayed by all the representatives of creditors is that there is room for no other narrative. One cannot embellish the situation, and there can be no political exploitation of it.
The country has already paid dearly and on many levels – social, economic, and political – for diverging from the realities of the crisis.
The second conclusion is that, while the fiscal deficits may have been reduced, the deficit in trust remains sky high.
This deficit, too, bears its own heavy cost, as it is the main reason for increased supervision, increased in a humiliating manner.
Hence, any backpedaling would only lead to a widening of the deficit, and the perpetuation of the humiliation, with the responsibility of the current government, which was elected in the name of restoring dignity.
Thomas Wieser’s successor as EWG chief is clear, and, as is well known, it is wise to be clear.
