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Tsipras on the Pnyx stresses need for a 'democratic contract' in Europe

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stressed the need to promote a dialog for "a new democratic contract in Europe" to bring back solidarity and equality between states and between citizens, during his speech at the hill of the Pnyx in Athens on Thursday evening.

"Europe needs to become an institution of economic and political solidarity. It is necessary to democratize the Eurozone and to limit the risks among the Eurozone," he said in his brief comments before introducing French President Emmanuel Macron. 
"We must promote dialog for a democratic contract in Europe with solidarity and equality among citizens and states. The recent economic crisis evolved into a political crisis, widened inequalities between states and citizens and postponed decisions. We went from the Europe of citizens to a Europe of vested interests and technocrats," he said. 
"We can achieve fiscal unification if we achieve political and economic integration," he said, adding he supports Macron's proposal for a Eurozone finance minister. He added however that Eurozone will also need a social justice minister.
Tsipras explained he is also in favour of a strong common budget with strict rules that will be common for all countries, but criticized countries with "huge surpluses" which widen the gap between the north and south of Europe.  
"We need to redesign the future of Europe. It is a political obligation of our generation, Emmanuel," he said addressing the French president. 
"Inertia and immobility will mean the decline of Europe. Even the most powerful among us in Europe on the basis of demographics will not be among the first powers of the planet in the next 20 years. On the basis of today's estimates, over the next 20 years, no EU country is expected to be in the seven most powerful countries economically on the planet," he continued.
Tsipras said he dreams of a Europe which will not be clarifying that he was dreaming of a Europe that is not a power of enforcement but as a force of co-operation and security.