EU lawmakers express concern over economic situation in Greece

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras presented his country's priorities for its six months EU Presidency to the European Parliament in Strasbourg Wednesday. The Greek EU presidency, which started on 1 January, will focus on boosting growth and jobs, the banking union and immigration policy based Samaras said . However, Members of the European Parliament stressed that the crisis in Greece was not over yet and that it had produced much social hardship, noted an EP statement. On his part, Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, praised Greece for its "courage, determination and commitment" during the crisis . Rebecca Harms, the chair of the Green group in the EP, criticised Samaras' optimism, saying that reforms are successful only on paper. "You must act with urgency; people have a big sense of injustice. You have to bring your nation on board," she said. Martin Callanan, the chair of the European Conservatve and Reformists Group, in the EP said: "The people of Greece are paying the price of their own mistakes."