Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, on joining the Social Summit for Fair Jobs and Growth, addressing the Greek journalists made the following statement:
“I am in Göteborg here today at a difficult time for Greece and the Greek people. I would like to thank all partners for the wave of solidarity expressed through their statements and their efforts to show their solidarity and help Greece at this difficult time.
However, I am here at a Summit which, in my opinion, is extremely important, as we are discussing the need for a framework of social protection, the need for a social pillar in Europe, which has been guided towards a neoliberal direction over the past years and this has created enormous imbalances both within and among Member States.
It is a necessity to discuss the change of the economic model. For us, the Greek people who have suffered the consequences of the economic crisis, it is an opportunity to highlight once again the need to protect and restore collective bargaining and social acquis in terms of labour legislation in Greece as well, and at the same time to find ways in which this social acquis will help the new generation of employees who are not even aware of the meaning of it. In this sense, I think today may be an opportunity to discuss and pave the way for the necessary changes and reforms in order to protect social and labour rights. ”
Earlier, the Prime Minister made the following statement to the foreign journalists:
It is a very difficult moment for the Greek people. We deeply appreciate the great wave of solidarity expressed by all European states and the European Commission.
I am in Göteborg today at a significant summit where the EU social pillar will be discussed. I think it is a necessity to discuss how we can change the existing economic model that creates inequalities and leads to brain drain and young people leaving the less prosperous states to move to more prosperous ones. I believe that it is necessary to protect collective bargaining and create the right conditions to preserve the European acquis and support future generations.
I am not sure that it will be easy to implement the decisions we will make today. But I think this is a first step in convincing that there is a need to create a protective framework for employees and new generations.
I want to thank everyone for the solidarity they have shown. I will make a specific request for assistance, but we must take into account the difficulties of the European bureaucracy. For this reason, first and foremost, we are trying to help our people by using our own forces.
But I think it is necessary to find a way to protect the European citizens from such phenomena caused by climate change. This is something that we will discuss in Paris in November.
