Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday punched a hole in a widely held belief – especially in bailout-dependent Greece – that outgoing German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was Athens’ standing antagonist in the Eurozone, with the European Commission president stressing that the latter supported Greek interests at the “crucial time”.
In statements carried by Bild Zeitung, Juncker said the image that was conveyed “often didn’t have any relation to reality”.
He also referred to a “German fable” that claimed that only the influential German FinMin was the sole vocal supporter of fiscal discipline. Juncker’s response came in answer to a question on whether the Eurozone’s most debt-laden countries – with Greece at the summit – are “overjoyed” with the looming departure of the veteran German politician.
