DG ECfin occupied -- Press release

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

#OCCUPYTHETROIKA – DG ECFIN OCCUPIED

Activists from across Europe have occupied DG ECFIN (Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs), the headquarters of European Commissioner Olli Rehn, in protest at its leading role in imposing austerity.

The action has been coordinated by For a European Spring – a coalition of movements from 13 countries – as part of a continent-wide protest against the European Summit and its austerity agenda, beginning today in Brussels.

Michel Vanderopoulos from the coordinating group in Brussels said, “From buildings such as the one we occupy today, the Troika is imposing austerity policies that leave millions of people without proper healthcare, deprive millions more citizens of their livelihoods and destroy hard fought-for historical social rights.”

The coalition ‘For a European Spring’ was formed to denounce the EU push for austerity, including cuts in social expenditure, radical wage cuts, attacks on social and labour rights, while demanding the abolition of all austerity treaties and legislation that form part of what President of the Commission José Manuel Barroso has called “a silent revolution”. This action and others are to taking place under the slogan “Our democracy against their austerity”.

Contact number: 0032 (0) 486 033 931

Notes to the editor

-    DG ECFIN is the Commission’s department fulfilling most of the work of the Troika, providing staff to the various task forces that travel to “indebted” European countries to impose austerity policies regardless of public interest or opinion.

-    European Commissioner Olli Rehn has publicly stated that the minimum wage in Greece of €511 gross salary per month – already below the poverty line – is too much and need to be cut further. He has also threatened to fine the Belgian state – which would fall on its tax-payers – if it does not further cut its health, education and unemployment budgets.

 -   For more information see www.foraeuropeanspring.org