Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos was invited to the TV show Demain l’Europe, hosted by Caroline de Camaret and Oriane Mancini. Other guests included Jean-Claude Trichet, former President of the European Central Bank, Denis MacShane, Britain's former Minister of Europe, and Carlos Moedas, EU Commissioner responsible for Research, Science and Innovation, while Viviane Reding, former Vice-President of the European Commission, and Mario Borghezio, Member of the European Parliament from the Northern League, joined the show via live link. The main topics raised included the rise in nationalism, Brexit, the financial, migrant and environmental crisis, the Europeans’ deteriorating view of the EU as a protector, and the political future of the continent. Asked to comment on unemployment in Greece, and the differences between northern and southern Europe, Mr Katrougalos noted: “We have reduced unemployment in Greece by 9%, but it remains quite high. However, it is not just a Greek problem; we’ve also seen it in Spain. I believe it is a much more general issue. We are talking about development, which is actually here, but there’s also the issue of its distribution; the distribution of the wealth produced. And it is evident that the inequalities are truly soaring. Not just in our society, but also among the member states. The architecture of the euro [...] It is not just an issue concerning Mr Trichet. I believe that there was an obsession with austerity and inflation in Europe compared to the political expansions in the USA and Japan. Obama raised the minimum wage. I think the mistakes made during the interwar period of the last century are being repeated. We tried to react to the crisis with restrictive economic measures (journalist: And they were very harsh measures for you), for the entire Europe, not just us. We are seeing that the historical mistakes are being repeated. Roosevelt had tried to reduce inequality with the New Deal. We tried to impose restrictive economic measures and it resulted in Nazism. We must keep our continent away from this.” Following an intervention by Mr Trichet regarding the economic crisis, the Greek Foreign Minister noted, “[Mr Trichet] you are right in what you are saying regarding the responsibilities of the Greek political system; but if Greece were an isolated case, there would not be a general sentiment of discontent in Europe. Even the Commission mentions in its White Paper that we are the first post-war generation of Europeans who fear that our children will be worse off than us. And this is the result of specific policies. Today, there’s less wealth than what there was in the 30 years after WWII. The problem lies in the wealth distribution mechanisms.” “There were measures imposed on Greece that were contrary to the European social model. For example, our model is based on collective bargaining. When we abolished collective bargaining, this was not only unnecessary, but it was the opposite of what our country needed. Therefore, in the future, we must pay attention to preserving the values of Europe; and one of these European values is solidarity, our social system,” added Mr Katrougalos in a discussion about the future economic policies of the EU. The second main topic of discussion was the migrant crisis. The journalist noted that Greece was the country to first receive migrants, however, “it did not follow the same policy [as Italy], proving that “a different form of migrant policy is also possible.” Responding to Mr Borghezio, the Greek Foreign Minister added, “I agree with you that we need to review the applications for asylum, but if you do not let them disembark, how can someone express their will to be accepted as a refugee?” On the same topic, the Minister also noted, “Just a small remark, the Commissioner [Mr Moedas] is right. There is no solution that is not European. And the weight of this pressure must be redistributed. The reaction of the member states that did not demonstrate solidarity is a problem for Europe. It is not just a problem for Italy, Greece or Spain. My second remark is very important. There is a direct relationship between crisis or the discontent of our citizens and this reaction. When we are experiencing a crisis, there’s fear and anger. And we keep looking for a scapegoat. Just like we found one in the face of the Jews in the 1930s, now some political parties, the same parties of the extreme right, are using the refugees and migrants as their scapegoat. Therefore, migration is not a burden just for the first-reception countries; it is a major challenge for us to maintain our freedom and laws.” With regard to the environmental challenges and climate change, Mr Katrougalos underscored, “We all agree that we have an obligation towards future generations, but there’s a cost to this process, and this cost must not only be borne by the poor. This is directly linked to the need for a more progressive tax. As Europeans, we have an obligation to protect the multilateral relations, i.e. the agreements between many countries. Then we have an obligation to promote our ethics; our vision for the world, climate protection and protection of employees, which must be included in our Treaties.” Lastly, referring to security and defence issues, Mr Katrougalos mentioned, “We need an autonomous European defence, initially because it must have a much greater influence on the international scene than the existing one. But also because Europe should not just offer protection on a social and internal security level, but also be able to offer security guarantees for its external borders. And the truth is that other Europeans are also threatened just as much. It is an obligation of major importance, stemming from solidarity, which is entrenched in the EU. This is necessary both for political and for legality reasons.”
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