EUROZONE-GREECE/GERMANY POLLSTER Deal on Greece lacks support among Germans, pollster says

Record ID: 146795

  • Title: EUROZONE-GREECE/GERMANY POLLSTER Deal on Greece lacks support among Germans, pollster says
  • Date: 17th July 2015
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (JULY 17, 2015) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF FORSA (SOCIETY FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS) INSTITUTE SIGN READING "FORSA" HEAD OF SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND MEDIA MARKET RESEARCH PETER MATUSCHEK WALKING AT FORSA HEADQUARTERS AND TAKING BOOK FROM SHELF HANDS HOLDING BOOK PLANTS ON SHELF (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND MEDIA MARKET RESE
  • Embargoed: 1st August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA1VIDFGNTR6P8S1LAJ5AH9S4KE
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Mistrust towards the Greek government's promises to implement reforms has lowered support in Germany for a deal reached in Brussels last weekend on negotiating a third rescue package, a German social research institute poll showed on Friday (July 17).
    The poll, published on the day that German lawmakers gave their go-ahead for the euro zone to negotiate a third bailout, showed that 53 percent of German voters had wanted parliament to back the negotiations, with 42 percent against.
    "Within the German electorate there is not such an overwhelming majority for new negotiations about a new rescue package program, although there is a majority of more than 50 percent backing the agreement taken last weekend in Brussels," the Head of Social, Political and Media Market Research at the Forsa institute, Peter Matuschek, told Reuters.
    European Union finance ministers have approved seven billion euros in bridge loans to Greece, allowing it to avoid defaulting on a bond payment to the ECB next Monday (July 20) and clear its arrears with the IMF.
    The Greek parliament approved the new bailout offer in the early hours of Thursday (July 16), although Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had to rely on opposition support after some lawmakers from his left-wing Syriza party rebelled.
    About a quarter of Syriza lawmakers voted 'no' or abstained, and some people eye that gesture with suspicion.
    "However, people do make a difference between the population in Greece in general and its government. We have widespread support and sympathy for the Greek people, for Greece in general, as a country, as a destination and so on. But we have many reservations against the government. People perceive it as not really willing or able to take the measures and reforms necessary, for instance collecting taxes and so on. So this is what makes people doubt. More than 80 percent told us this week that they were very doubtful whether the measures agreed on in Brussels last weekend will be implemented by the Greek government right now," Matuschek said.
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