Brussels
President of the Government.- Good evening. If you don't mind, I will tell you a little about the content of my speech and what has been agreed.
In my speech, firstly I stated that just a few months ago Greece had a growth forecast for this year of 2.9%, yet now it is in a situation of negative growth; secondly, that the Greek debt, according to the International Monetary Fund in the last report we saw was sustainable but now it is unsustainable; thirdly, I claimed that we should thus act swiftly, things need to be done quickly, firstly because of the situation in which Greece finds itself, which is highly precarious, and secondly, because the Eurozone shouldn't have to go through a situation of uncertainty such as this either.
I also pointed out that it is very important for the rules established to be followed and that, hence, we should maintain the rules established by and for all of us, because this affects the very credibility of the Eurozone. Furthermore, if Greece wishes to ask for a programme, it is entitled to do so and we will all consider it. And finally, I welcomed the decision taken by the European Central Bank to guarantee the financial stability of the Eurozone.
In the end, what was unanimously agreed by all of us is for Greece to present, in the next few hours, a request for a new programme to the ESM and that, before Thursday, the conditions for this programme will be presented and approved. Logically, this must be studied by the three institutions. It will then be submitted to the Eurogroup, which will meet on Saturday and on Sunday there will be a meeting of the European Council - of the Heads of State and Government - in order to resolve, once and for all, the situation of uncertainty.
Q.- A new programme takes time. What has been prepared? Can we expect a short-term programme to deal with the financial needs over the summer?
President of the Government.- No, this is a totally new programme. We have spent many months working on this issue, and hence the aim is to set out the content of the new programme and establish the conditions, and a lot of work has been done on that already. What is important now is that we really know what needs to be done. Greece has undertaken to present a new programme; this programme, as you would expect, will be subject to a series of conditions and, aside from that, if the three institutions accept it, it will be put to the Eurogroup and then to the Heads of State and Government on Sunday.
Q.- President of the Government, have you seen a change of attitude on the part of Alexis Tsipras, the Greek Prime Minister?
President of the Government.- I am not going to go into details, because what I must try to ensure is that things turn out well; but it is being done what is established in the rules of the European institutions, as it should. Greece is in a difficult situation. Quite honestly, I believe that a lot of time has been lost. As I said before, it has gone from a positive growth forecast to a negative growth forecast; unemployment is increasing and people cannot get their deposits and money out of the bank. Things cannot go on like that. This is bad for the people of Greece, for Greece itself and for the European Union in terms of the uncertainty it generates.
I believe that between now and Sunday - a date has been set and that is highly positive - Greece must present its request for a new programme. It will do this because that is what the Greek Prime Minister has said. We will discuss the conditions on the basis of what already existed, as you would expect, and I hope and fervently desire that this will all be resolved on Sunday, and that we can do away with an interim situation that I believe was not going to do any good at all, above all for the people of Greece as a whole.
As President of the Government, I am pleased, I am satisfied that the rules set out by the European Union are being respected. This gives it credibility, certainty and security. I believe that this is good for the people of Greece and for Europe as a whole.
Q.- Can you guarantee that Sunday will be the last day of the Greek crisis?
President of the Government.- I certainly hope so.
Thank you.