Meritocracy and transparency will be Greece’s trademark, Tsipras says

Meritocracy, transparency and equal opportunities will be the trademarks of a new Greece, prime minister Alexis Tsipras said.

Speaking of the “new Greece of tomorrow”, Tsipras also vowed to eradicate “small and big cartels of established interests.

“The various, small and big cartels of established interests, which attempt, even today, to control public administration and the economy, will collapse. Meritocracy, transparency, equal opportunities everywhere, with the appropriate social sensitivity and the rule of law will be the trademark for the new Greece of tomorrow,” he told euronews.

“We start working hard, in order to change Greece within a Europe that changes direction.”

Following the agreement reached with the eurogroup, Tsipras said Greece had overcome a difficult obstacle and it was now time for reforms to take place. He said, that the previous government had failed to implement those reforms, “because there were commitments with powerful interests”.

“It has been proven that Europe can move on, when there is political will; that it can overcome deadlocks and seek alternative ways to growth; that it can put the common future of European people as a priority,” Tsipras said.

The Bundestag today voted to extend Greece’s aid programme by four months by a big majority. According to Tsipras, the vote translated into a vote confidence for Europe.

“We welcome our German colleagues’ vote, as a political act of common sense and democracy. As an act which ratifies the double respect which characterizes us.

“Respect, on one hand, to the common rules of the European Union and the Eurozone, as reflected in the Treaties and, on the other hand, to the principle of popular sovereignty as expressed through people’s vote in the Eurozone member-states.”

Tsipras told euronews that Europe had now “recognised” that Greece has turned a new page.

“We start the relentless effort to recover fiscal and social justice and, at the same time, to increase public revenues. Our political will to make those not used to paying pay their own share is now being translated into action, contributing to the formation of a new tax consciousness of the citizens.

“We are building an effective public administration with respect to the citizens and the taxes they pay.”