Greeks protest austerity in Amsterdam as EU summit readied

Hundreds of protesters gathered on Dam Square in Amsterdam on Sunday to express their solidarity with Greece. The European Union will hold an emergency summit on the so-called Grexit on Monday. Greece submitted a final proposal, which Jean-Claude Juncker, chairman of the European Commission, called a "good basis" for the summit, NRC reports.

Speakers at Sunday's demonstration included SP parliamentarian Arnold Merkies and Ewout van de Berg of the International Socialists. There were about 500 people present at the height of the demonstration, AT5 reports. The theme of the protest was "Solidarity with the Greek nation, NO to the austerity measures".  According to the organizers, all the talks over the past months were not "negotiations between equal partners", but "months of brutal blackmail by the Eurogroup against the Greek government". The Troika, consisting of the European Central Bank, The European Commission and the International Monetary Fund, has imposed "unbearable austerity" and thus "led the nation to poverty."

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced on Sunday that he has submitted a "final proposal" to the Troika, NRC reports. According to him, the proposal is a "mutually beneficial arrangement" that will end the deadlock between Greece and its lenders. On Twitter, Cabinet Chief Martin Selmayr confirmed that Jucnker, the IMF and the ECB received the proposal.

The EU Finance Ministers are meeting at 12:30 p.m. on Monday to discuss the financial crisis in Greece. By he end of this month, Greece will not be able to meet its financial obligations. The government leaders of the EU countries will join the discussion at 7:00 p.m.