Juncker admits that if he had visited Athens a year ago he would not be speaking about the country’s success with such confidence. Probably, the main topic of his speech would have been Greece’s exit from the euro zone - GREXIT. "Now there is no such danger," says the Prime Minister of Luxembourg. "I believe, like Greek businessmen and the government, that economic growth in Greece will return again in 2014. The country has the potential to return to the free markets next year, albeit gradually."
However, GRReporter’s readers are somewhat sceptical. A month ago, we asked you whether you think that Greece will escape bankruptcy. The majority of respondents in both the English and Bulgarian versions of the web site are of the opinion that you never know how things in the country will develop.
Despite the wave of optimistic forecasts for the economic situation of Greece, most of our readers remain cautious in their expectations for the stabilization of the country. In the Greek version of GRReporter, however, the main opinion is different. Its readers believe that the country's situation will be clear only after the parliamentary elections in Germany this autumn.
The dominant role of Germany in the course of the European Union cannot be ignored by any member state. Moreover, if this country was falsely accused of being the black sheep of Europe it is now doing everything possible to improve its situation and its external image.
Visits like that of Jean-Claude Juncker help Greece recover somewhat its lost credibility and pave the way for its further development. Towards the end of his speech in Athens, he expressed his firm belief that Greece would emerge from the crisis as a winner and that the European countries have received a lesson. They already know that only a closer unity and cooperation will help them withstand the pressure from emerging countries.