Brussels, 24/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Summit has been a success in all regards, according to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was particularly pleased with progress made on migration. “The reform of Schengen has begun. The principles of this reform correspond point for point with what France had asked”, he told press, careful to state that “the new safeguard clause does not call freedom of movement into question. It allows this freedom of movement to be monitored”.
On the second bail-out for Greece, he said that “the compromise which we announced, negotiated with our friends last Friday in Berlin, has been accepted by the European Council as a whole”. He added: “Greece has been given support; Europe has shown confidence in the Greek government and parliament to pursue the courageous policy which has been undertaken, and the EU, along with the IMF, will do what has to be done to make sure that the aid is paid at the start of July and that a new aid plan is put in place at the request of the Greek authorities”.
To the sceptics who, speaking of a bandaid policy applying a dressing to a broken leg, wonder about the ability of European leaders to calm the markets to overcome the crisis in the euro area, the French president says: “We have decided to put a permanent mechanism in place” (ESM) and “of three successive crises (Ireland, Portugal and Greece), two have been well managed remaining under control. A €4450 billion bandaid - that is a term I would never have used, if only out of respect for European taxpayers”. (A.N./transl.rt)