Finland vs. Austria: Two different positions on Greece

Finland holds firm

Finnish Finance Minister Antti Rinne told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the decisions are clear and that Greece “will get extra money only when the reforms are not just decided upon but also implemented.”

“We do not allow Greece to backmail us,” he said, adding that the release of loans requires a unilateral decision by the Eurogroup and Finland will only give its consent if the terms have been met.” He said that all parties hold the same view and Finland’s position will remain the same regardless of the winner in the April 19 elections in Finland.

Austria is understanding

Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann told Oesterreich newspaper on Sunday that nobody should forget the difficulties Greece faces at the moment. He said that there is child poverty on the one hand and rich people avoiding taxes with accounts in Switzerland. He has repeatedly called for an “honest opportunity” to be given to Greece, adding that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and SYRIZA are not “magicians” .

In his view, he said that the Greek government underestimated the problems of Greece by promising too much. He said that the party forgets that is dealing with politicians, not academics.