Statement
by the Office of Yanis Varoufakis, former Minister of Finance, Member
of Parliament, Hellenic Republic
During the
Greek government’s negotiations with the Eurogroup, Minister
Varoufakis oversaw a Working Group with a remit to prepare
contingency plans against the creditors’ efforts to undermine the
Greek government and in view of forces at work within the Eurozone to
have Greece expelled from the euro. The Working Group was convened by
the Minister, at the behest of the Prime Minister, and was
coordinated by Professor James K. Galbraith. (Click here for a
statement on the matter by Professor Galbraith).
It is worth
noting that, prior to Mr Varoufakis’ comfirmation of the existence
of the said Working Group, the Minister was criticized widely for
having neglected to make such contingency plans. The Bank of Greece,
the ECB, treasuries of EU member-states, banks, international
organisations etc. had all drawn up such plans since 2012. Greece’s
Ministry of Finance would have been remiss had it made no attempt to
draw up contingency plans.
Ever since
Mr Varoufakis announced the existence of the Working Group, the media
have indulged in far-fetched articles that damage the quality of
public debate. The Ministry of Finance’s Working Group worked
exclusively within the framework of government policy and its
recommendations were always aimed at serving the public interest, at
respecting the laws of the land, and at keeping the country in the
Eurozone.
Regarding
the recent article by “Kathimerini” newspaper entitled “Plan B
involving highjacking and hacking”, Kathimerini’s failure to
contact Mr Varoufakis for comment and its reporter’s erroneous
references to “highjacking tax file numbers of all taxpayers”
sowed confusion and contributed to the media-induced disinformation.
The article refers to the Ministry’s project as described by
Minister Varoufakis in his 6th July farewell speech during the
handover ceremony in the Ministry of Finance. In that speech Mr
Varoufakis clearly stated: “The General Secretariat of Information
Systems had begun investigating means by which Taxisnet (Nb. the
Ministry’s Tax Web Interface) could become something more than it
currently is, to become a payments system for third parties, a system
that improves efficiency and minimises the arrears of the state to
citizens and vice versa.” That project was not part of the Working
Group’s remit, was presented in full by Minister Varoufakis to
Cabinet, and should, in Minister Varoufakis’ view, be implemented
independently of the negotiations with Greece’s creditors, as it
will contribute considerable efficiency gains in transactions between
the state and taxpayers as well as between taxpayers.
In
conclusion, during the five months of negotiations that gripped
Europe and changed the debate throughout the Continent, the Ministry
of Finance did everything possible to serve the public interest
against many odds. The current media campaign to besmirch these
efforts will fail to dent the legacy of a crucial five month struggle
for democracy and common sense.
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