President Karatzaferis appeals to the leadership of the European Union

Dear President of the European Council, Dear President of the European Commission, Dear President of the European Parliament, Dear Presidents and Co-Presidents of the European Parliament. Greece is at a critical juncture on its path for fiscal consolidation and economic recovery. The burden on the Greek people to meet the austerity criteria has already been unprecedented in recent memory.

Although the importance of the debt restructuring and the new loan agreement cannot be disputed as part of continuing efforts towards the creation of a healthy an competitive economy, the terms of this agreement cannot violate fundamental rights which up until now have never been disputed in a democratic society and a sovereign state.

The severity of some of the proposed terms presented ahead of the new loan agreement will damage the belief of Greek people in this process and the effort of the political system to convince the citizens about the needed reforms, will slow down the economy below the point of no return and will cause social unrest of a kind that Europe has not seen for decades in a way that the reform process will no longer be possible. Unrest in Greece may spread in other countries and unleash the frustration of people across Europe towards distortions in participatory democracy.

Many of the floating ideas for the agreement are in contradiction to the acquis and the core of European legislation on fundamental rights and freedoms. Many interventions in the labor market are against the basic provisions of the charters and agreements of the International Labor Organization.

REFORM CANNOT HAPPEN AT GUNPOINT, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT REQUIRES THE PARTICIPATION OF THE COMPLEX STRUCTURE OF AN ENTIRE SOCIETY.  IT IS A TIMEBOMB FOR THE ENTIRE WESTERN WORLD.
 
The European Parliament is the only directly elected body of the European Union and represents the commitment of the Union to eliminate practices that sustain a democratic deficit. It is for this very reason, and in accordance to the spirit of the Lisbon Treaty, that I appeal to the coming Plenary Session that will discuss the European Summit results and I ask your strategic intervention to protect both the process of reform in crisis stricken countries such as Greece and the fundamental democratic values on which Europe relies for its prosperity and cooperation amongst its people.

We all understand that sacrifices towards adjustment and recovery will be enormous and the Greek people have already shown tremendous patience and maturity in dealing with the process. However, the national sacrifices of personal dignity and the imposition of an economic dictatorship in Greece cannot be seen as part of any process of assistance towards Greece.

It is with these words that I make this dramatic appeal to your commitment in Democracy to influence the Executive Branch of the Union towards a more rational and principled approach to the Greek economic crisis.

G. Karatzaferis
President of LAOS Party, Greece