Yanis Varoufakis: The Eurogroup "lacks sophistication"
September 7, 2015
Varoufakis admits to Tim Sebastian on Conflict Zone that his proposals may not have been written "by God and his angels, maybe they could have been better", but insists that the EU's austerity measures are to blame for the miserable state of the Greek economy.
No serious discussion about economics in Eurogroup?
Varoufakis also voiced serious doubts about Brussels' economic capabilities on the show: "There was never any serious discussion about economics or macroeconomics in the Eurogroup. That's something that the citizens of Europe should know about and this is something they should be very worried about."
Varoufakis stepped down as finance minister on July 6 responding to pressure from European leaders. This came despite the "No" vote in the Greek bailout referendum. Since his appointment by Alexis Tsipras in January 2015, Varoufakis had been a staunch critic of European fiscal politics.
An exercise in accountability
This is the first interview on DW's new interview program, Conflict Zone with Tim Sebastian. Sebastian is a world-renowned television journalist with more than 40 years of experience. On #dwZone Tim Sebastian seeks straight answers to straight questions from those in power.
What has gone wrong within the guest’s sphere of responsibility? The Conflict Zone team travels to London, New York, Tehran - or wherever the story is.
The show's premiere is on Wednesday, 9 September, at 17.30 UTC and will be available online on-demand. Join the debate on social media using #dwZone.