German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble criticized Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel for making the comment that Germany is partly responsible for Greece’s financial problems.
The comment was made during last week’s visit of the German vice chancellor in Athens. “What Mr Gabriel said in Athens… that the Germans are responsible for Greece’s problems, he couldn’t possibly mean it seriously,” Schaeuble said.
Sigmar, who is Chairman of Germany’s Social Democrats and Economy Minister, spoke on Sunday night on ZDF television saying that given the 25 million of unemployed in Europe, the issue for him is investment in infrastructure, research and education.
Gabriel said that the Social Democrats are not in favor of taking on new debt, but, in principle, they are for the fight against corruption in Europe, mainly tax evasion, which may provide the necessary funds.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble rejected the demands made on fostering growth through additional government investment. As he pointed out in an interview with Welt am Sonntag newspaper, “it is not helpful for anyone to get wrong ideas… about growth on borrowed money.”
The Christian Democrat politician responded to criticism against him — both outside and inside German borders — for his insistence on adherence to the fiscal discipline doctrine and austerity policies, saying that “this is not about cuts, but about compliance with the rules we have decided for ourselves.” Schaeuble underlined that the countries that adhered to the rules are in a better position now.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
