Papandreou accuses EU of using Greece as scapegoat for bigger economic problems

Prime Minister George Papandreou on Friday (February 12th) accused the bloc of using Greece as a scapegoat to hide the 27-member group’s own failures. Speaking at a government session only a day after the EU leaders agreed to help Greece deal with its financial woes, Papandreou stressed that because of the “criminal policy of the previous” right-centrist New Democracy government, he not only had to convince his partners of his political will to effect needed, radical change, but also had to fight powerful attacks by international speculators.

“The Union, the Commission, even Eurostat had the responsibility to be vigilant and to point out to the previous government the slippery slope it was on,” he stated. Papandreou added that the situation has been aggravated by numerous statements creating the impression that Greece is on the brink of collapse.