Cameron urges EU to act over Greece
British Prime Minister David Cameron has urged fellow EU leaders to take “decisive” action over Greece and agree longer-term plans to beat the wider eurozone crisis.
Arriving for an EU summit over dinner in Brussels Mr Cameron said: “This is an important meeting for Britain because what happens in the eurozone affects our country.”
It was time for decisive plans for Greece, to help get the economy moving, he said, adding: “But if we are not to keep coming back and back to meetings like this we also need coherent long term plans – otherwise this crisis will keep re-occurring.”
New French President Francois Hollande arrived for his first EU gathering of leaders since his election insisting on the need for more emphasis on economic growth – setting himself up for a major showdown with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who says austerity measures must take priority to tackle debt and deficits.
He also pressed the case for establishing eurobonds in the 17-nation eurozone to raise money to take the pressure off indebted countries – anathema to Germany, which would see the cost of its borrowing rise.
