Jacek Rostowski (left) with Spanish Minister of Economy Luis de Guindos: photo - EPA/Oliver Hoslet
“My message to Greek citizens, now that they have to express their democratic choice, is: come to your senses and decide whether you want to take the irreversible step of voting for parties that may prevent Greece remaining in the eurozone,” Rostowski said in Brussels, after a meeting of EU finance ministers.
New elections are expected to take place in Greece on 10 or 17 June after attempts to form a coalition failed, Tuesday, following the 6 May elections, which saw gains for anti-austerity parties.
Opinion polls point to the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) getting around 25 percent of the vote – making it the largest party in parliament.
SYRIZA has vowed to tear up Greece's austerity programme.
If Greece fails to form a coalition, which would keep to previous agreements with the EU and IMF to pay off its debts, then it could be forced to give up the euro currency, anyway.
"I don't envisage, not even for one second, Greece leaving the euro area," Jean-Claude Juncker, chairman of the EU finance ministers' monthly eurozone meeting, said in Brussels, however.
“This is nonsense; this is propaganda,” he added.
The German finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, warned that the terms of the 130 billion euro bailout deal with Greece were non-negotiable.
"We were all of the opinion that what has been agreed with Greece is valid," he said after the finance ministers' meeting.
Poland's Jacek Rotowski said that if Greece does exit the eurzone, the EU must create a “fire wall” to stop contagion.
“We should try to avoid Greece leaving the eurozone but if this proves impossible, we must ensure the safety of the rest of the market before the virus spreads."
Poland's finance minister said he feared that the currently agreed permanent rescue European European Stability Mechanism (ESM) funding programme, which will come into force on 1 July, will not be enough to create a buffer to other nations within the eurozone, and that the European Central Bank (ECB) should play a leading role in the process.
“Only the ECB can create such a firewall,” Rostowski said. (pg)
source: PAP/TVN/Wall Street Journal