Greece Assumes EU Presidency
Praise, Traffic as Greece Assumes EU Presidency
European Union leaders praised Greece's efforts to fix its crisis-hit
economy Wednesday, as the country formally assumed the bloc's rotating
presidency amid strict police security that left traffic in the capital
at a standstill for hours.
"The challenges are still immense, social conditions are still
demanding, and unemployment remains at unacceptable levels," European
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said at a ceremony with Greek
Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. "But important progress was achieved.
Greece is turning around its economy."
Reeling under a gaping budget deficit and massive debt, Greece has been
dependent on rescue loans from other EU countries that use the euro as
their currency and from the International Monetary Fund since May 2010.
In return for billions of euros in bailout loans, successive governments
have had to impose harsh austerity measures in an effort to overhaul
the country's economy. The spending cuts and repeated tax hikes have led
to deep resentment among many Greeks, sparking a string of general
strikes and often violent protests.
To avoid embarrassment at Wednesday's ceremonies in Athens — also
attended by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and
commissioners from across the EU — police banned all protests for 18
hours in a broad swathe of the city center.
Authorities also shut down roads and subway stations, as more than 2,000
policemen enforced a giant cordon around the inaugural events, causing
traffic jams across the city for most of the day.
About 400 leftwing supporters who tried to defy the protest ban far from
the venues briefly scuffled with police late Wednesday before being
dispersed with tear gas. One protester was arrested.
Athens hopes to emerge from a grueling six-year recession in the next
six months, and negotiate a landmark deal with bailout creditors to make
its massive national debt sustainable.
Samaras said that during its presidency of the 28-nation bloc, Greece
would focus on economic recovery, fighting unemployment and tackling
security issues, including migration.
Alexis Tsipras, head of the main opposition radical left Syriza party,
did not attend the events, drawing criticism from the governing
two-party coalition.
Barroso stressed that financial rescue packages do work, pointing to the
success of Ireland, which managed this year to leave its own bailout
program and return to borrowing on the international bond market. He
urged Greece to stick to its own reforms and "not to give up."
"Programs work, and we should not waste the efforts made so far," he
said, adding that he was "fully aware" of the difficulties Greece and
its people were going through.
"As I said exactly one year ago, 2013 would be, and it was, the year
when the European economy would start to turn the corner," Barroso said,
adding that not so long ago, some were speculating that Greece would be
forced to leave the euro and that the joint currency would implode.
"The very fact that we are here today, celebrating the Greek presidency
... is clear evidence that those predictions were wrong," he said.
The Greek presidency ends June 30.
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