Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras pointed directly to increased spending by the EU with a “priority towards weaker countries and regions” as the “alternative” to what he called “the conservative or neo-liberal agenda” in the EU.
Speaking at a meeting of European socialist leaders in Paris and brandishing a more “social democrat” political message in place of the radical leftist policies he voiced while in the opposition, Tsipras said the so-called Juncker stimulus package should be doubled, and the extra money funneled to EU countries in need, i.e. Greece and the European south.
He also called for “productive exemptions” from Stability Pact rules governing investments, employment and growth in the Union.
One such “exemption”, as he told other European leaders, in delineating his "alternative plan", is to exclude national funding participation in investments co-financed by the Juncker package, or the Partnership Agreement for the Development Framework, from being included in calculations for national states' annual budget deficits.
He also proposed a similar exclusion for funds directed by national governments – in EU countries with high unemployment – towards employment programs or “community service”.
