European commission expresses support for Greece

Greece will continue to receive full support from the European Commission and the Eurozone, as long as Athens stays committed towards financial reforms, Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso announced. “Greece is part of the European family and the euro area and we intend to keep it that way. All the heads of state and government of the euro area have stated in the clearest possible terms that Greece should stay in the euro as long as the commitments made are honored,” Barroso said in a statement following his meeting with Greek Premier Antonis Samaras. “The Prime Minister has assured me that the coalition government will respect the commitments under the second programme and will speed up the key structural reforms that are needed, including the privatization process and of course, also the reforms in the public administration, for instance, the reform against the tax evasion,” he added. Samaras described Barroso’s visit, which is the first of its kind since the Greek financial crisis, as a recognition on the part of Europe of the daily efforts exerted by the Greek people.