Yanis Varoufakis (pictured), who as Greece’s finance minister last year tried to defy German-backed austerity policies, launched a pan-European movement in Berlin on Tuesday that he said aimed to “democratise” the continent.
Varoufakis kicked off his “Democracy in Europe Movement 2025” (DiEM25) at the historic Volksbuehne theatre, a venue well-known for its leftist political activism and its role in the former East Germany’s peaceful revolution.
“We’ve chosen Berlin precisely because nothing can change in a progressive direction without the full participation of Germany in our European endeavours,” Varoufakis told a news conference in the packed, red-walled theatre auditorium.
His remarks contrast sharply with his behaviour during last year’s fraught five-month negotations over another financial bailout for Greece.
Back then, his fiery language alienated many of his eurozone colleagues and he frequently clashed with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.Varoufakis quit as finance minister last July after refusing to accept the terms of a third bailout for Greece which imposed further tough austerity measures.
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