Herman Van Rompuy says Greece must continue reforms

The EU’s top official on Tuesday called on Greece to keep up the “courageous” overhaul of its ailing economy, the source of widespread protests, in order to “preserve” the country’s future.

“The key is to continue implementing in a timely and effective manner the courageous reforms and privatisation that has been agreed,” European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said after talks with Greek PM George Papandreou.

“All these efforts are in the long-term interests of Greece. They are unavoidable and should have been implemented long ago,” Van Rompuy said.

“Europe is not to be blamed, on the contrary the Union is helping to preserve the future of Greece,” he stressed.