Tsipras: 'We need a new social contract in Europe'

"We need more Europe, better Europe....We need a new social contract for Europe," Tsipras said, stressing that Europe was in a deep crisis and unable to convince its peoples to support it. Citing labour issues in Greece as an example, Tsipras noted that the country needed a reorganisation of laws in a labour market that was already flexible, not to demolish it entirely.
The British referendum on whether to remain in the EU was an indication of this deep crisis, Tsipras added, noting that it had already done great damage, regardless of its outcome, in that it had set a negative precedent in Europe.
According to the Greek prime minister, it was now proven that the neoliberal model for handling the crisis, centred on a formula of general austerity, had failed.
"The 22 million unemployed in Europe are proof that the crisis is not behind us," he said, noting that long-term unemployment was now the main political problem in Europe.
The prime minister also referred to the refugee and migration crisis, saying that Greece had found itself at its centre with roughly 60,000 people now trapped within its borders.
"Greece is implementing European and international law, respecting the rights of asylum seekers," he emphasised, noting the need to uphold and respect the obligations arising from the European Convention on Human Rights.
"It is my fundamental conviction that in order to deal with the refugee crisis we need a European response: a better attitude by all the countries and upholding the relocation process," Tsipras said. "Our common goal, from this point of view, is to respond effectively to the refugee-migration crisis while at the same time respecting our obligations under the ECHR," he added.
The Greek prime minister also emphasised the need for solidarity as a "shared value, a shared principle," noting that this had allowed Greeks to manage such an unprecedented crisis.
Referring to the Council of Europe, Tsipras said that Greece considered the CoE a unifying force based on shared values and principles with an irreplaceable role, pledging that Athens will continue to contribute to the best of its ability to achieving its goals.

The issue was not more or less Europe, Tsipras said after a meeting with PACE President Pedro Agramunt earlier in the day that focused mainly on the refugee crisis.

"What we need is a better Europe, [one that is] democratic and social," he told reporters.
Agramunt, a member of the Spanish People's Party, referred to his recent visit to the Aegean island of Lesvos and other islands that receive large numbers of refugees, praising the Greek side's management of the refugee crisis.
Tsipras noted that the EU-Turkey agreement on the refugee issue had "difficult elements" but was necessary, since there was no alternative solution. It had also worked in that it had drastically reduced the number of refugees drowning at sea while attempting the crossing, he added.
Earlier, the prime minister had meet CoE Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, who praised Greece's stance on the refugee issue and the way that Greek state mechanisms had acted to provide assistance and hospitality to refugees.
Tsipras then had a meeting with the Greek deputies at PACE, led by SYRIZA MP Anneta Kavvadia, who said that there was a very good atmosphere at PACE concerning Greece's stance on the refugee issue. He then had meetings with European Court of Human Rights President Guido Raimondi and Greek ECHR judge Linos-Alexandros Sisilianos, as well as attending a dinner with Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas.