Gerun Dijsselbloem has made revelations about the 2015 deal.
Sharp, specific and by name were Gerun Dijsselbloem’s reports on the negotiation of 2015, during the public debate held as part of the presentation of his documentary SKAI “At the Millennium”, which documents the events of the period before the country came to the brink of leaving the Eurozone.
Speaking at the event, attended by politicians and technocrats of the time, the former chairman of the Eurogroup described a scene of complete mismatch between what was being discussed in the halls of Brussels and what was perceived by the Syriza government ministers at the time. “Greek ministers entered the room with their own political reality and their own ambitions, but there was very little understanding of the context in which the others were placed,” he said, giving a flavour of the period.
Dijsselbloem’s statement was not general or theoretical. He clearly described the inability of the then Greek side to understand that it was not negotiating in a vacuum, but against countries that had already gone through similar or even harsher crises. As he noted, Baltic states, with lower per capita income than Greece, had implemented hard adjustment programmes and wondered why they should continue to support a country that appeared not to understand its commitments. He made special reference to intense confrontations with ministers from other countries, noting that “the context of other countries was never really understood.” This phrase captures the key problem of that period: a lack of common language and understanding of the context.
The “Varoufakis” problem
He was even more specific when referring to Giannis Varoufakis, whom he described as “the real problematic point” of the negotiations. He said that outside the Eurogroup the then finance minister was arguing that Greece did not want a new programme, while inside the meetings he was calling for additional funding. “He was saying ‘we don’t want another programme’. And at the same time, “we need more loans”. That was a very difficult discussion,” he said.
On the other hand, for Euclid Tsakalotos, he noted that the discussions were “substantive and constructive” even if there was a wide gap in positions. The comparison is not accidental. It shows that the issue was not only political, but also purely negotiating.
Disclosing that, during a joint press conference with Varoufakis, he was not listening to a translation in his headphones, was particularly striking. The same incident was confirmed by Tomas Wieser, who described the then Greek minister as an “angry man” and noted that he was trying “to understand from the facial expressions what he was saying”.
The incident serves as an indication of the climate at the time, when even basic communication processes were showing problems. Dijsselbloem also made an important admission: thatin the first two programmes there was too much emphasis on austerity. However, he clarified that the subsequent programs focused on reforms, which he said were not wrong, but were implemented to an excessive degree at the same time.
At the same time, he placed particular emphasis on the issue of trust. As he said, the disclosure of Greece’s true fiscal figures at the beginning of the crisis seriously damaged the country’s credibility. “Trust is crucial when you are part of the eurozone,” he said, stressing that without it, any negotiation becomes more difficult.
The overall assessment that emerges from Dijsselbloem’s statements is clear: 2015 was not just a tough negotiation, but a period where a lack of understanding, contradictions and an inability to build trust decisively burdened Greece’s position. The documentary “In the Millionth”, which will be shown on SKAI from 4 May, attempts to capture exactly this period. And the testimonies of those involved at the time, such as that of Dijsselbloem, serve as a reminder of how political choices and manipulations can determine the course of a country for years to come.
