MPs back cabinet stance at crucial EU summit on Greece

A comfortable majority of MPs back the government’s approach to Thursday afternoon’s crucial summit on the European debt crisis, news agency ANP reports.


MPs from the finance and European affairs committees were recalled from their summer break to debate the latest developments with finance minister Jan Kees de Jager, after France and Germany came up with a common position on a second bail-out for Greece.
The government’s alliance partner PVV, the SP, ChristenUnie and pro-animal PvdD voted against the cabinet. De Jager told MPs Greece requires an extra €90bn up to 2014.
Eurozone
De Jager said senior officials from the 17 eurozone countries are now fleshing out the basic deal agreed by German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
The minister said he is pleased France appears to have softened its opposition to the involvement of banks and insurance companies in solving the Greek crisis and he expects the private sector to make a ‘substantial contribution’ to the financial package.
‘The banks have to contribute as well because they have benefited from high interest rates in Greece for years,’ the minister was quoted as saying.
According to news agency AP, De Jager said a so-called selective default on Greece’s debts was ‘potentially inevitable’ and French objections to such a default had been ‘swept under the table’.
The Netherlands has made private sector support essential for its support for a new rescue package.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation