Merkel betreurt weigering van Slowakije om Griekenland te redden (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - German Chancellor Angela Merkel i on Wednesday (25 August) said she regretted Slovakia's refusal to pay into a joint EU i-IMF i bail-out for heavily-indebted Greece, but her comments were softer than statements made by Berlin and Brussels earlier this month.
"As much as we regret the decision on Greece, I am also certain that we will work together very closely and faithfully in future issues," said Ms Merkel after a meeting with her Slovak counterpart Iveta Radicova i.
"I have no doubt that Slovakia will be a very reliable partner," she continued.
A strong majority in the Slovak parliament on 11 August rejected paying the country's €800 million share of a €110bn rescue package for Greece but approved its contribution to a bigger general fund meant to stop the crisis spreading to other countries.
Slovak politicians argue that they do not see why poorer Slovakia must pay to help richer Greece and point out that Bratislava put in place severe austerity measures in 2000 without external assistance. Slovakia's vote does not endanger the Greek package.
Following the vote, a spokesperson for Ms Merkel implied that Bratislava's move could backfire on it down the line.
"Everyone needs to know that he may one day be dependent on the solidarity of the others," said the spokesperson while Mr Rehn i issued an unusually sharp rebuke calling it a "breach of solidarity" and said he expected EU finance minister "to return to the matter" when they meet in September.
Ms Radicova, who came to power in July on the back of a campaign pledge not to accept the €800 million loan to Greece, vigorously defended her country's stance and demanded an "official apology" from Mr Rehn.
"The way in which Olli Rehn, a non-elected official from Brussels, spoke about the freely elected members of the Slovakian parliament was insulting," she told German daily Die Welt ahead of the meeting with the chancellor.
The EU's tardy response to the Greek crisis was largely the result of a lengthy debate in Germany, with many German politicians querying why the country should loan money to Greece when Athens had been sending false statistics about the state of its economy to Brussels for years. The German parliament eventually approved the country's majority share of the loan.
The debate in Slovakia contained similar overtones.
Responding to Ms Radicova's demand for an apology, a spokesperson for Mr Rehn emphasised the commission's respect for the Slovak parliament.
"As regards legitimacy, Mr Rehn is a member of the European Commission ... he is therefore one of the guarantors of the treaty," said the spokesperson.
"The commission felt that commitments entered into by the Slovak govt in the eurogroup had not been fulfilled. He said there could have been a lack of solidarity with other eurozone members who are all part of the mechanism."