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“None so deaf as those who will not hear”. The economic and social situation in Greece has worsened in the last 5 years and it is not getting better. People have been demonstrating tirelessly on the streets against spending cuts imposed by the Troika to meet the country’s bailout terms. No later than last week, doctors, teachers, and municipal employees have protested with the slogan “we will strike until we win”, “we’ll kick the troika out”, and “we demand that Europe’s heavyweights change their dead-end policy”.

Well, nobody at the EU level seems to hear these outcries. We do not talk about Greece anymore. It’s not at the top of the EU political priorities or EU news. Question – When did Greece fell out of the EU agenda? What did the EU do so well that it is not a major issue anymore?

Flashback – the 2011 June European Council concluded that “Heads of State or Government are conscious of the efforts that the adjustment measures entail for the Greek citizens, and are convinced that these sacrifices are indispensable for the economic recovery and will contribute to the future stability and welfare of the country”.

Question – What are the indispensable sacrifices to be made for an economic recovery and what kind of welfare are we talking about?

Greece is facing its 6th consecutive year of recession. The jobless rate has tripled since 2009 and is twice as much as the average of the Eurozone. Whenever you come across a group of ten young people in the streets, bear in mind that 6 of them do not have a job. That’s the highest percentage in the EU (56,6 %). The austerity measures have included a 25% cut in the incomes of most public sector workers, pension cuts and tax hikes. The cost of housing has increased by 11% since last year. The right to strike is questioned by the government when it invokes emergency law and threatens to arrest demonstrators after a nine day walkout by metro workers. As the Belgian Prime minister said “Europe will need to rethink the austerity-driven approach that it has taken since the start of the crisis if the euro-zone economy doesn’t start picking-up by mid-year”. The situation is not going to get better in Greece by mid-year: the Troika expects a contraction of the economy by 4,2% this year.

Turning a deaf ear to Greeks turmoil, few EU leaders pay a visit to the sick man of Europe. But like any doctor would tell you, not looking at your wounds does not make you healthier. Peer Steinbrueck, the German SPD candidate for the chancellorship next September, is one of the few who is brave enough to look at the social situation in Greece and is in Athens today. He calls for greater solidarity with Greece. He suggested in the Der Spiegel magazine that EU leaders should have shown stronger support for the country at the start of the crisis by guaranteeing its bonds.

Greece will be back on the agenda at least no later than next year when it will hold the presidency of the EU in January 2014. In the meantime I will keep Greece in my mind and actions in the coming days in the midst of our intervention on Thursday on the “social exclusion and the labour market: policies to improve the current situation” before the ministers of Employment and Social Affairs in Dublin. It will also be important to be reminded of it during the European Council final negotiations on the EU budget for the next 7 years, for which we reiterated our key demands for a hard cash social dimension.

Let’s engage for solidarity!

Pierre Baussand – Director