Renewed calls for Eurogroup president Dijsselbloem's resignation

By Janene Pieters on Tuesday, 4 April 2017 - 10:48
Jeroen_Dijsselbloem_2015_(1)
Jeroen Dijsselbloem (Photo: Rijksoverheid.nl)Jeroen Dijsselbloem (Photo: Rijksoverheid.nl)

The European Parliament again called for Jeroen Dijsselbloem to resign as president of the Eurogroup on Monday after he refused to appear in Parliament to discuss the Eurogroup's role in solving the Greek crisis. Even his own PvdA faction in European Parliament (EP) is showing little support for him, RTL Nieuws reports.

"Unanimous condemnation by European Parliament against Jeroen Dijsselbloem for umpteenth refusal to answer questions on sacrifices made by our citizens", EP president Antonio Tajani said on Twitter. He will also formally say this in a letter to the departing Dutch Finance Minister. Tajani called Dijsselbloem provocative, insulting and arrogant and said he behaves scandalously towards the EP, southern European countries and women.

https://twitter.com/EP_President/status/848930526887063555

The largest factions in the EP also called for Dijsselbloem to step down. Even the S&D, which includes parliamentarians from Dijsselbloem's own party the PvdA, would rather see him go, according to RTL. 

Last month Dijsselbloem also riled the EP's anger with a statement that the southern European countries took as an insult directed at them. "I can not spend all my money on booze and women (Schnapps und Frauen) and then ask for help", Dijsselbloem said in an interview. According to Dijsselbloem, this was a call for sensible fiscal policies, but the southern European countries found the statement racist and stigmatizing. 

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, the leader of the Christian Democrats and the leader of his own party, the Social Democrats, all called for his departure. 

"Parliament basically named Dijsselbloem politically persona non grata", EU parliamentarian Peter van Dalen (CU) said on Twitter on Monday. PvdA MP Paul Tang said to NU.nl: "It would have been better if Dijsselbloem simply apologized. The statements are offensive and no one is defending him." To RTL Z Tang said that Dijsselbloem may not have meant the statement to be derogatory, "but it was". 

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