The Dutch minister of economy, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, has ruffled feathers by accusing southern EU states on frittering away money on frivolous purchases. Mr Dijsselbloem, also the current Eurogroup chief, launched a scathing attack on nations in the south as he kickstarted a campaign to stay in power.He said: “In the crisis of the euro, the countries of the North have shown solidarity with the countries affected by the crisis. “As a Social Democrat, I give an exceptional importance to solidarity, but the one asking for it also has obligations.

“You can’t spend all the money on drinks and women and then ask for help.”

Mr Dijsselbloem is attempting to cling to power despite his Labour party tanking in the polls in last week’s national elections. It is likely the result will see his party unable to remain part of the governing coalition.

The issue of creating a permanent presidency of the Eurogroup, an option which has already been proposed by bodies such as the European Parliament, is particularly relevant as Mr Dijsselbloem may lose his job as a Dutch minister before his term ends in the Eurogroup in 2018. Amid his uncertain future his latest remarks, made during an interview with a German newspaper, have angered the South, notably Spain.

See the reaction of Dijsselbleom when asked if he intends to apologize for his unprecedented remarks:

The Spanish Economy Minister, Luis de Guindos, attacked Mr Dijsselbloem over his negative portrayal of southern Europe. He called his comments “unfortunate”, adding: “I do not think that Portugal, Greece, Cyprus or Ireland have wasted money. Solidarity is important.”

“They lent us $40billion, but we have lent other countries a similar amount and making such comparisons is not ideal.” The Mediterranean nation was one of the worst hit by the financial crash, and required financial help and a bail-out from the EU. Mr de Guindos pointed towards the country’s economic recovery, hinting that it would allow Spain to participate more in the EU. He said: “Spain is clearly under-represented in the economic organisations of the EU and the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). “The economic recovery is important for all the Spaniards and meeting the deficit target is important because it is a stability factor and this is much more relevant than the recovery of jobs.”

Spain and other nations in southern Europe have voiced their growing concern with Brussels over plans for a two-speed Europe, as they fear being left behind.

Source: express.co.uk

Renzi: Eurogroup president should resign over ‘alcohol and women’ accusation

Ex-premier Matteo Renzi called on Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem to quit on Wednesday after the Dutchman was quoted as saying that southern European countries “spend everything on alcohol and women and then ask for help”. “Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem missed an excellent opportunity to be silent,” Renzi said on his Facebook page. “In a German daily he let slip a stupid comment – I can’t find a better term – against the countries of the south, starting with Italy and Spain… “The sooner he resigns, the better. For him and for the credibility of the European institutions.
The controversial comments were made in an interview with German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
“During the euro crisis the countries of the north showed solidarity with the countries hit hardest,” Dijsselbloem was quoted as saying.
“As a social democrat, I give great importance to solidarity, but also to obligations.
“You cannot spend all your money on alcohol and women and then ask for help”. Italian ex-premier and former European Commission president Romano Prodi said Wednesday that “I perceived a sense of envy” when asked about the furore.
A spokesperson for German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, on the other hand, said that the minister “appreciates the work of Jeroen Djisselbloem”. A spokesperson for Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that “everyone is responsible for their comments” and expressed his “respect” and “love” for southern Europe.

Hellas Pindakaas comment

He did it again… Jeroen Dijsselbloem, weaker than ever before after the historic defeat of his Labor party in the last Dutch elections, overstepped his post as Eurogroup president and attacked the European South for wasting money on alcohol and women and then asking for more loans. This is really a step too far for the outgoing Finance Minister. Stereotypes like this are used mainly by populist right wing politicians like Wilders with the purpose of causing turmoil, from which they will gain far right voters. This unprecedented remark by J Dijsselbloem shows the stress he is under and is utterly and unequivocally an unfair representation of the European South. EU officials are outraged, and rightly so.

Someone needs to remind Mr Dijsselbloem that the money that was given to Greece with the bailout packages, didn’t go to the Greek people and was not a gesture of solidarity. Those were loans that were given to save the German and French banks.

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Renzi: Eurogroup president should resign over ‘alcohol and women’ accusation

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