sputniknews
Critics
have slammed Greece’s new bailout deal - agreed upon between Athens
and the country’s creditors - saying that it is a declaration of
war on the Greek people, as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras recalled
parliament for an emergency session to try and ratify the agreement.
As
Tsipras tries to gain the support of MPs to pass the $96 billion (€86
billion) reforms package, critics have savaged the deal, saying that
it essentially puts Greece "up for sale".
Nick
Dearden, director of UK-based advocacy group Global Justice Now,
released a statement to Sputnik saying that the bailout agreement
would turn Greece into a “corporate paradise," with locals to
ultimately lose out.
"Greece
is up for sale, and its workers, farmers and small businesses will
have to be cleared out of the way.
"The
purpose of the bailout has little to do with 'repaying debt' and
everything to do with creating a corporate paradise in the
Mediterranean. The debts that matter to Europe’s elite have already
been repaid. Today, debt has simply become a straightjacket to
discipline Greek society. The real purpose of the program is economic
restructuring, through privatization and deregulation."
He
added that reforms aimed to increase the privatization of publicly
owned assets would lead to corporations "scrambling to get a
piece of the action".
"The
package declares war on all who stand to lose: workers, small
businesses and farmers. Gone will be laws protecting small business
ownership, collective bargaining, the minimum wage, and help for
farmers. The reforms are so specific that the EU is writing
regulation on bread measurement and milk expiry dates."
Deal
Not Yet Over the Line
Many
leading economists have raised concerns that Greece’s bailout
agreement, which will see the continuation of harsh austerity
policies, won’t solve the country’s crippling debt problems.
And
while Greek officials have struck a deal with the country’s
creditors over the three-year debt-for-reforms package, the measures
need to be approved by Greek parliament, as well as the parliaments
of the other Eurozone countries.
While
Alexis Tsipras’ is facing a rebellion from many within his own
Syriza party politicians, vehemently opposed to further austerity, is
it thought that he will use the support of opposition parties to pass
the measures.
However,
there is concern that even if the deal passes in Athens, it may face
some opposition in German parliament, with Berlin stressing that it
would want to work through the fine print of the deal, rather than
rushing into a new deal.
Many
German MPs have been highly critical of the decision to offer Greece
a new bailout deal, with some proposing that the country should be
either expelled, or given a temporary exit from the Eurozone.
In
return for the financial aid, Greece would need to implement a number
of structural reforms aimed at making the country’s economy more
efficient.
The
reforms include proposals to sell off state owned property, slash
generous retirement schemes, raise taxes and cut benefits to farmers.
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