The “Big Bad” Proposed That Europe Trade Greece For Puerto Rico!

A similar one that can still be heard in Germany relates to the Swabians. Residents of the historic region of Swabia, located in the states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. This stereotype is related to the saying that Swabians should save and work hard, and loosely translated into Greek, “Swabians are the descendants of Scots who were driven out of Scotland because they were too stingy.”

Although stereotypes are rarely true, for the record, oh Wolfgang SchaubleSwabian was one of the most powerful and at the same time controversial political figures in Europe.

East German leader Erich Honecker's official visit to Bonn was the first and only visit by an East German to West Germany. He signed the historic German reunification agreement with GDR counterpart Gunder Krause. The Politician In 1991 he made a decisive speech in the Bundestag and convinced a majority of MPs to move the capital from Bonn to Berlin. He was one of those responsible for signing the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, which created the concept of a common currency and European citizenship. German finance minister at the start of the debt crisis and the eurozone crisis and again in the same post where he proposed a temporary withdrawal of Greece from the eurozone.

Wolfgang Schäuble was present at some of the most important events that defined European economic and political developments in the last 40 years or so.

An ardent European

From the time he was elected to the West German parliament in 1972, until he assumed ministerial posts in Helmut Kohl's government, Wolfgang Schäuble developed a strong friendship with the West German chancellor. European Union by creating a European federal center (Kerneuropa).

In 1994, two years after the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, Wolfgang Schäuble, together with Karl Lammers, proposed to the then French Prime Minister Edouard Balladour to formally move to a European federal centre. . Baladur simply ignored the suggestion.

Twenty-one years after the Greek crisis and dead-end negotiations brought our country to the brink of leaving the eurozone, he reiterated the idea as Germany's finance minister. Responding to criticism he received from many economists, mainly in the United States, he insisted that his accusers had no experience with the architecture of the European Monetary Union. “There is no central government in the euro zone, all member states have to reach an agreement unanimously. My critics don't know this,” he said.

Wolfgang Schäuble's personality set him apart from all German politicians, who always tried to please everyone. A relatively stubborn man, he thought and spoke more as a judge than as a politician. His close associates described him as a lonely and withdrawn man who could not be described as a friend. After the assassination attempt on him, he was confined to a wheelchair, and the only people he spoke to on a daily basis were his wife Ingeborg and his four children, especially his three daughters, with whom he had many contacts. day

Fall and return

In 1998 Helmut Kohl's crushing election defeat by the Social Democratic Party's Hegard Schröder and the revelation of a scandal involving 100,000 anonymous donations to the CDU brought an end to Kohl's rule and the Schäubl succession. Angela Merkel, a supporter of Kohl, stepped in and won it all. Wolfgang Schäuble realized that his dream of ruling Germany would never come true, and “The best chancellor Germany has ever had”.

His relations with Angela Merkel were never clear. He himself felt that Germany's chancellor had ignored him behind the scenes, while Merkel needed a politician for her side with strong foundations within the Christian Democrats who could not threaten her dominance in the party.

Greek adventure

In this context, Mr. Schäuble was appointed interior minister in the first Merkel government, and four years later, in 2009, he took over as finance minister. In this capacity, he will be best known as the composer of austerity and drastic reforms in Greece and the rest of the EU, while being characterized by many member states of the eurozone. “The Big Bad”. As he said, character doesn't matter to him.

“I am not considered the big bad everywhere in Europe. Many people approve of my attitude. But that does not mean me, because I know who I am: I am a passionate European. In my own party I am accused of being too European and not defending German interests enough.

My goal is for Europe as a whole to solve problems that France, Luxembourg or Germany cannot solve alone. For example the refugee issue, the stability of the Middle East, the climate, the global penetration of financial markets: isolated, we can do nothing, together we can do a lot,” he said in 2015. Referring to personal attacks. Greece, but that he received from politicians in Portugal and France, He declared that he did not exalt himself.

“They didn't affect me personally, but they made me very suspicious of politicians who try to win votes with such speeches. Alexis Tsipras, before and after the election, demanded that Germany pay Greece reparations for the crimes and destructions committed by the Nazis during World War II to help cover the costs. Total public debt. He who utters such foolish words to his own people does not fulfill his duty to tell the truth. “These nationalisms, these irresponsible causes, cannot help but turn against those who use them,” declared Mr. Schauble.

It was during that period that negotiations with the Greek government and the holding of a referendum came closer to Greece. Leaving the Eurozone. Mr. Schauble himself had proposed. Two years later, in 2017, at the German Ministry of Finance in Berlin, the “theme” and signatory Mr. Schuble was asked if he would continue in this position. “Now I will offer less money in return.”

Wolfgang Schäuble's sense of humor was another aspect of his personality that set him apart “Average Politician”. The humor sometimes bordered on the tragic, as in 2017 when he publicly told his US counterpart that the EU had recommended that Greece trade for Puerto Rico.

However, Mr. Although Schäuble declared himself a staunch European, in Germany he managed to achieve what was called “Black Zero” (Schwarz Zero)essentially zeroing out the deficit, at a time when eurozone member states and the US are asking for investment support to reheat the eurozone economy as a whole.

Although in his meetings Euro group, Mr. Schäuble's power is undeniable, Greece was in the Eurozone, first in the Eurogroup, then in the European background under the leadership of the European Commission and Mr. The only person who knew Schuble was found. Reason Jean-Claude Juncker, who was with Schäuble when the Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1992.

Relations between these two men were not always the best during the negotiations for our country, with or without their respective Greek governments. “It's not unusual to have different opinions on how to handle the Greek crisis. Even my wife and I don't always agree. Germany and France, for example, are not married, but both countries always work out our differences in the end. It's a matter of balance. In the house where I grew up, we were three brothers, and when we fought ,​​​​​​​Our father always told us that the strong should give way. This is what happened in the negotiations with Greece. The person in the best position should try to help the weak. I tried to do that,” he said characteristically.

With the death of Wolfgang Schäuble, a man who lived through the creation and near dissolution of the monetary union, a great chapter in the political and economic history of the European Union ends.

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