Barroso: Political clashes stymied Greek progress

Unnecessary political clashes prevented Greece from emerging from its financial crisis like other countries, former European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has told Sunday's Kathimerini in an interview, adding that he does not expect a debt relief settlement until after German elections in September.

In periods of crisis, political parties should work together as part of a national plan, Barroso said, adding that constantly blaming the creditors for everything does not solve the problem and noting that other countries with financial problems such as Ireland and his native Portugal managed to emerge from their respective crises relatively quickly as they avoided the "political mistakes" made in Greece.

The former EC president noted that the threat of Grexit has not completely disappeared, though the eurozone is better prepared to deal with such an eventuality.<...