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Gregor Gysi

Greece Offers Alternative to Logic of Austerity and Impoverishment

“The reform programme presented by Greece shows a first way out of the former austerity programmes’ logic of cutting and impoverishment, substantially implemented by the federal government via the troika during the euro crisis. The most devastating social and humanitarian consequences will be corrected, eventually the focus will be on the fight against tax evasion and corruption, and a fair taxation of rich and wealthy Greek. The federal government now has four months to realise that there is no more-of-the-same; which not only on behalf of the Greek, but also on European and German behalf may not, and will not happen with the new Greek government”, declares the head of DIE LINKE faction in Bundestag, Gregor Gysi, regarding the list of reforms presented by Greece. Gysi further:

“Exactly because the scope for a fundamental change of the policy, that has ruined the country and further increased the debt, is being kept small and the Greek government can only implement the souvereign will of the Greek people in the framework of the existing programmes, the following months must be used to eventually exit the destructive cutback spiral and to initiate an economic buildup in the debt countries. Only this warrants that those countries will be able to repay their debts. The federal government must eventually honestly tell the people that it stood sureties and is liable for 27 per cent of Greece’s debt if a repayment of the Greek debt of 320 billion Euro becomes impossible. This strain on the tax payers in Germany must be prevented as well. Now, the Greek government must especially be supported in establishing tax equity by freezing foreign accounts from Greeks with a balance exceeding 200.000 Euro and reporting this to the Greek tax authorities.

The attempt of the federal government to commit Europe to the Agenda 2010-course has failed. We do not need a German Europe but a Europeanised Germany. This excludes haughty head teacher behaviour.”

(German)