Brussels, 14/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 14 February, the chair of the Social-Democrat Group of the European Parliament criticised the fact that four countries of the eurozone have been downgraded - Italy, Malta and Portugal by one notch and Spain by two notches - by the rating agency Moody's. “It has become a pattern that European countries are always downgraded around EU Council meetings or discussions (…). It is rare that we as Socialists and Democrats agree with the rating agencies, but one thing is clear: neither the markets nor the people accept the strict austerity policies imposed on people today”, he said. Moody's is also planning to reduce France's maximum rating in the medium term, which was already downgraded by Standard and Poor's in January. It is worth noting that Moody's has negatively modified the prospects of Austria and the United Kingdom. (MB/transl.fl)