Verhofstadt calls for reforms in Greece

The President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Guy Verhofstadt referred to the need for structural reforms in Greece.

“2015 was a turbulent year for our continent. Not the least because of the Greek crisis. The people of Greece continue to suffer terribly as a result of years of political mismanagement and clientelism. As I made clear to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, it is important genuine reforms are now completed, to get Greece growing again.

Looking to the future, the rest of Europe must also take steps to help ensure Greece’s debt is on a sustainable footing,” he posted on his Twitter.

Mr. Verhofstadt first made this point [about the need to end clientism]  to Tsipras in the European parliament last July  when he sided with the conservative group to attack the proposals of the Greek government.

Guy Verhofstadt, the leader of the liberal MEPs group, a former Prime Minister of Belgium and a  political friend of the  Greek privatisation programme.

Guy Verhofstadt sits on the board of Sofina (Société Financière de Transports et d’Entreprises Industrielles), a Belgian holding company headquartered in Brussels. Sofina invests in multiple economic sectors such as telecommunication (7%), portfolio companies, banking and insurance (6%), private equity (6%), services (18%), consumer goods (31%), energy (6%), distribution (8%) and various other sectors (10%).

The company has an active interest in the privatisation of Greek water as part of a consortium with Aktor, one of the most powerful business groups in Greece, with a leading role in construction, highway concessions and waste management. Aktor is controlled one of the Greek powerful families and its consortium is considered the favourite to win the bid.

ANA – MPA

Edited, additional material: Y Xamonakis