Schauble to Bild: We are satisfied with Greece

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble expressed his satisfaction over Greece’s determination to implement reforms, in an interview to Sunday’s Bild. “The Greek government has understood that the country cannot avoid deep reforms”, he underlined. He warned the Greek government that the EU states will be closely monitoring the implementation of the measures provided in the agreement.

Addressing mainly his party audience, and in the wake of Wednesday’s vote on the Greek rescue plan in the German parliament, the German minister characterised the deal ‘responsible’, adding that it reflected what had been agreed during the the EU-19 Summit in July.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, also speaking to Bild praised Greek PM Alexis Tsipras underling that the negotiations were conducted in a ‘professional’ and ‘swift manner’, adding that Tsipras showed he was ready to associate his political fortune with Greece’s place in the Eurozone.

German left party Die Linke (The Left) is expected to vote against the new deal Wednesday. Leader Gregor Gysi criticized the agreement as being the result of blackmail. He was interviewed by Bild and German radio DLF and warned that the terms of the new loan were linked to cuts in social benefits, unemployment increase, economic recession and a drop in tax collection. In a show of solidarity to the ’brother’ party of SYRIZA Gysi said Die Linke would vote ‘Ochi’, No on Wednesday, clarifying that if he was in SYRIZA he would also have been forced ‘with a heavy heart’ to vote yes, because a no vote would mean a disastrous Grexit.