NEWS

Barroso looks back on fight to keep Greece in euro

Looking back on his 10 years at the European Commission, the outgoing President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Tuesday that preventing Greece leaving the eurozone had been one of the most significant moments during his time in office.

“Had Greece left the euro, the economic and financial damage would have spilled over throughout the single market,” the head of the European Union’s executive arm said at the European Parliament in Brussels.

“Politically, the euro and the European Union would have been shaken to their very foundations.”

Barroso said he “fought so hard for a united response: a balance of fiscal responsibility and deep structural reform in the countries concerned, and solidarity and a credible backstop from more prosperous countries.”

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