EU Barroso, Van Rompuy : 'Stand By' Greece As EU, Euro Member
06/17/2012| 05:35pm US/Eastern
Recommend:
BRUSSELS--Sunday's Greek elections should allow for a new government to be formed quickly, the European Union's two top officials said, adding that they "stand by" Greece's membership in the euro and the EU.
"The Greek people have spoken. We fully respect its democratic choice. We are hopeful that the election results will allow a government to be formed quickly," European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a joint statement Sunday.
"We will continue to stand by Greece as a member of the EU family and of the Euro area," they said in a statement following a Greek election which left the conservative New Democracy party in first place. New Democracy is now expected to form a coalition government with Socialist party Pasok and possibly another party.
The two presidents echoed an earlier statement by the Eurogroup of euro-zone finance ministers, praising Greek citizens for their "courage and resilience" in the face of several years of austerity.
However, Barroso and Van Rompuy, who are currently at the meeting of Group of 20 industrial and developing nations in Los Cabos, Mexico, made it clear that Greece would need to stick to the contours of March's second bailout package.
"The second economic adjustment programme agreed between Greece and the Eurogroup is the basis upon which to build to foster growth, prosperity and jobs for the Greek people," they said.
Write to Laurence Norman at Laurence.norman@dowjones.com.
Recommend :
