International

‘Either the smoke from the fifty billion euro blunder has still not lifted or Prime Minister Rutte is creating a new smokescreen around the collateral on the Greek loans. Rutte voted at the European Council Summit in favour of allowing negotiations on collateral on the loans to Greece. But our government in fact finds it an unwise idea and rejects its practical elaboration by Finland and Austria. There’s no following this any more!’ So says SP Member of Parliament Ewout Irrgang in reaction to the note to Parliament from the government concerning the commotion created by the collateral demanded by Finland in exchange for new loans to Greece. The SP is demanding a debate this week with Rutte and Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager in order to clear up precisely what the PM voted for at last month’s summit.

Has Prime Minister Mark Rutte committed a blunder in his explanation of Greece’s support package? Or has he made a conscious attempt to mislead the people by setting the figure for expenditure lower than it really was? This is the question that SP leader Emile Roemer answered during the debate over the crisis in the Eurozone and Rutte’s ‘slip’ over the billions in aid to Greece.