Talking to Real FM radio station earlier today, about recent terrorist attacks in Brussels, SYRIZA MEP and Vice President of the European Parliament, Dimitrios Papadimoulis, made the following statements:

«All evidence indicates that this is an organized terrorist attack. According to what I hear from the experts, I would say that it must be a response by some other terrorist-core, to the arrest of Salah Abdeslam, four days ago. 
Additional security measures have already been taken not only in Brussels, but all over the European countries. The worries and the fear are increased, under the influence of this new shock and I think that this requires from all of us a greater unity and cooperation as well, than to turn over national egoism and entrenchments.
If the Intelligence Services of many countries had collaborated in a basis of a common information exchange system, preventing the risk of terrorist attacks, the Belgians who had organized the attacks in Paris would had been already arrested by the French authorities. 
These persons were already identified by the Belgian police who had information about them, they had been on their radar, but there was no way that the French secret services could be informed. So, I would say that I do believe we need not to panic. Instead, we need more European collaboration on the security measures. And at the same time, we need to not make the mistake of considering every refugee as a potential terrorist or suspect for terrorism.
Moreover, the powers that be, Americans, Russians and European leaders, must find a way to bring peace in Syria. Otherwise Europe is going to live, once more, dark days.
I state all this as what I think that it should be done and not as what I think that will happen in the end. I am deeply concerned because the fascism of ISIS and of the Jihadists, who do not care about murdering innocent civilians at the metro stations, airports or shops, feeds the fear and the rise of the far-right, whose agenda is not only to close the borders and dismantle Schengen, but also destroy every chance for a united, democratic Europe».

• «We don’t want to blackmail anyone, but we don’t want to be blackmailed from anyone either».

The Vice President of the E.P. and MEP of SYRIZA Dimitrios Papadimoulis, gave from Strasbourg an interview to the U.S. international network CNBC. Referring to the negotiations of the Greek government with the institutions of the European Union, D. Papadimoulis said the following:

Dimitrios Papadimoulis:

«Our proposal is not putting any additional weight to any taxpayer, German taxpayer or to any other European taxpayer. We want from the Eurogroup to put in force its decision, which already exists from November 2012, which says that when the Greek economy has net surpluses in its budget, the Eurogroup will decide additional measures for decreasing the Greek public debt, without putting additional burden to the European tax payers. Our effort is to find a win-win solution in the coming days and I’m very optimistic that we will succeed. We don’t want to burden anyone; we want our economy to turn towards growth».

«There is no plan B for the Greek government. Our plan is only the plan A: For Greece to become a respectful, equal member of the Euro Area and of the European Union. Having development of its economy, reducing the unemployment, putting in force a lot of reforms related with the administration, the tax system, cracking down the oligarchy phenomenon in the Greek economy, which is a very annoying phenomenon, because it creates gaps in the open competition of the real economy; and also for us, the crucial point is that we had a program in Greece which totally failed. Our goal is to find a solution commonly accepted from Greece and also from our partners. As Vice-President of the European Parliament, I can assure you that the large majority in the E.P. faces the problem like that».

Journalist:

– To finish give me a very brief answer, what would the Eurozone lose by seeing Greece leave?

Dim. Papadimoulis:

«The Grexit does not exist as a real chance, because the common interest of the whole Euro area is for Greece to remain in the Euro. Yesterday ILO published a study which says that in Germany there will be a huge increase of unemployment, if there is a case for a Grexit and also all the experts say that in this case, which really does not exist; there will be a domino effect for all the Euro area and for the whole European Union. It’s important to note that in the U.K. which doesn’t participate in the Euro area there are fears for such a scenario... So I repeat: we don’t want to blackmail anyone, but we don’t want to be blackmailed from anyone either».

http://www.glistatigenerali.com/commissione-europea_euro-e-bce_parlamento-europeo/noi-di-syrizala-nostra-lotta-allausterita-fa-bene-a-tutta-leuropa/

1) The stock exchanges collapsed when the elections were announced in Greece. SYRIZA is worried that fear can influence the vote?

The election campaign is already rife with intervention from establishment forces and investment funds seeking to create a climate of fear amongst Greek voter. They try to convince voters that we need to keep doing the same things that have brought us to disaster.

There are moments, though, when democracy beats fear.

Winds of change are blowing and the peoples of Southern Europe and their sovereign political forces are ready to change course and advance towards a Europe with social justice and popular sovereignty.

After years of social ruin, SYRIZA is offering Greeks that precious thing: hope.

2) What is the program of SYRIZA about the austerity demands of the European Union? In what percentage would you need to cut the debt to reach the EU parameters?

SYRIZA is demanding a negotiated solution. It has conjured up the example of a European debt conference to wipe away a portion of the debt, as happened with Germany in 1953. We want to get relief on a large part of debt and repay through economic growth, rather than from budget cuts. We propose a European new deal backed up by an investment bank; an all-out war against the tax avoidance; an emergency employment program; a raised minimum wage and the restoration of collective bargaining.

3) For 2015, the European Commission has predicted 2.9% growth for the Greek economy and a reduction of unemployment from 26.8 to 25%. Do you think that these figures are insufficient?

In Greece we experience a social devastation caused by over half a decade of austerity measures. Almost a third of the population lives below the European poverty line. Greece’s social safety net and health system have collapsed. What we need to do first, is to address the humanitarian crisis and then to carry out an economic recovery plan and deep reforms in the management of state and public administration that will lead to economic growth and job creation.

As Tsipras declared “It is not a question of what the party likes but what is feasible”

4) Even in case of victory for SYRIZA, you could have no majority in Parliament, what are your potential allies?

SYRIZA’s support is sufficient to secure a workable majority in Greek parliament.

We have repeatedly said, though, that we will seek to rally around us as many forces as possible to secure the implementation of our program. At any case, we will aim for wider consensus.

What is also important is the social leadership. This will depend on the participatory structures and the social movement that will support us after the victorious election.

5) And in Europe who are your partners?

In the European Parliament, SYRIZA is a member of the confederal group European Unitarian Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL).

SYRIZA wants the EU to abandon crippling austerity policies in favor of quantitative easing and a growth-led recovery.

Therefore, our possible allies are first the anti-austerity democratic forces of southern Europe.

A SYRIZA government could spur on other anti-austerity forces across the continent. It is conceivable that “Podemos” could assume power in Spain later in 2015. In Britain, some polls already have the Greens on up to 9%. The likes of Die Linke in Germany – the country at the very heart of the EU’s austerity drive – could be given a boost, too.

6) Do you think you will be able to influence the social democratic parties in Europe and convince them to support the anti-austerity front?

More and more analysts, scientist and politicians and up to admit that the last five years were a series of policy mistakes: Austerity when economies needed stimulus, paranoia about inflation when the real risk is deflation, and so on.

As Paul Krugman says: “Righteousness is killing the world economy”

In Britain, for instance, many political analysts believe that SYRIZA victory could strengthen those who wish Labour to offer a genuine alternative – or, alternatively, Britain’s own SYRIZA-style party

So 2015 could finally be the year when austerity meets its reckoning across the continent.

7) Let’s imagine SYRIZA wins the election and can govern. If the troika refuses your proposals, what will you do? Would you even threaten the exit from the euro?

The ruling “New Democracy” party and its allies, are trying to portray the election as a referendum on an exit from the euro. Nothing could be further from the truth.

SYRIZA has no intention to make unilateral moves. Actually, we will do everything in our power to keep Greece in the EU and the euro zone.

But we have to keep in mind that historically, the solution to high levels of debt has often involved writing off and forgiving much of that debt Therefore, we believe that we’ll find a solution on debt relief with troika because it is in everyone’s interest.