Trade with Greece
18
A
usterity policies have reached their limits,
she believes, reiterating that a change of
policy mix is needed broadly in Europe.
Commenting on the upcoming Euro-elections,
she underscores that the best choice is to move
up to the next level of European integration, but
this option “has political cost”. As for her portfolio
on Blue Growth, which will be one of the Greek
presidency’s priorities, is concerned, she says
that in order to make it through the crisis, Europe
needs the contribution of all sectors of its econo-
my (including the seas).
What do you expect from the Greek pres-
idency, compared to the previous ones?
Greece undertakes the presidency of the Council
of the European Union in the middle of an impor-
tant transition period for the entire political system
of Europe. The current economic crisis and the
policies of strict fiscal discipline, which have been
applied over the last years, have undermined sig-
nificantly the social cohesion and the living stan-
dards of a great part of the population, mainly, but
not only, in the southern countries of Europe. The
European project is going through an unstable
period of rising doubt. Euroscepticism and cen-
trifugal forces that support a return to the past are
gaining remarkable ground. Furthermore, the
European Parliament elections, in May 2014, will
define to a significant degree the direction and the
limits of Europe’s future.
In addition, one should not forget that Greece is
the country that has been affected the most by
the crisis and Europe’s response to it. Greek GDP
has shrunk by 30% and unemployment has risen
to unprecedented post-war levels. Also, recently
Greece has been subject to severe contestation
from a large part of Europe’s political order and
public opinion as to whether it has the capacity to
face the challenges that are linked to its
European course.
So, it is obvious that the Greek presidency can be
expected to be one of the most crucial presiden-
cies of the entire European project. Greece has to
prove that it has the capacity to hold an efficient,
well-organised and coherent presidency at such a
crucial moment and to put forward the issues of
growth, employment, cohesion, as inseparably
linked to the process of European integration and
to the euro zone’s completion. I am sure that with
the contribution of all of us, Greece will make the
difference. Greece can offer a meaningful presi-
dency, which will not only be structured around a
business-as-usual agenda, but will also con-
The Greek presidency will be one of
the most crucial presidencies of the
entire European project, which is in
the middle of an important transition,
says Maria Damanaki in her interview.
No to a Jobless
Recovery
Interview with Maria Damanaki, Commissioner for
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
By Aristotelia Peloni
