EU disaster for most states: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Peter Koenig, a former World Bank economist in Geneva, to discuss the remarks made by the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, blaming the austerity policies for the British decision to leave the European Union (EU).

A rough transcription of the interview appears below.

Press TV: Well tell me your perspective on what the Greek prime minister has said that basically what we have seen take place in the United Kingdom is actually a direct result of austerity policies coming out of Brussels and a rise in populism where people felt that they were becoming less powerful or being able to make a decision for their own country. How do you see it?

Koenig: Well first of all I would like to congratulate the Brits that they have chosen to exit the European Union which is really a corrupt construct of European leaders which do not even show any sign of solidarity.

So I think this is the best thing that has happened to Europe in a long time - this Brexit - and it could actually trigger, it should actually be a signal for many countries including Greece and Spain which is going to vote tomorrow that there are possibilities to somehow say goodbye to the European Union and to demolish this ship which has so far only created a lot of misery including in Greece and Spain where suicide rates are astronomical.

Now what Mr. Tsipras said I am not sure whether I understand him correctly but if I do then I do not agree with him. I do not think the Brits decision to exit Europe is their decision and not the decision and not the result of European leaders. Indirectly may be but what particularly the Brits have been realizing is that the European Union the way it is constructed today is a disaster for most countries including or especially for the southern countries and the Brits also, they are suffering from imposition of laws and restrictions on which they have absolutely nothing to say.

So they realize that Europe is actually a construct that has very little to do with Europe and in fact I think we should all be reminded that the European Union is not a creation of Europeans, the European Union is a creation of the United States. After the Second World War this was very clear, the US has said and acted upon that European countries should become a federation but a loose federation, never a political federation that can be dominated in the future by the US and that they eventually should have a common currency which is euro which is built exactly on the same premises as the dollar.

We see this is very clearly the case today and therefore Europe I have also seen and heard that Mr. Tsipras has called for reform of the European Union. The current European Union cannot be reformed. I think there is only one way, is to demolish it and for the countries who want to really have a solidarity federation among themselves to start anew but without any influence from outside.

Press TV: How likely is that to happen?

Koenig: How likely is that to happen, it is very difficult to say but I think the chances are now. I think the chances for Mr. Tsipras would be, that is what I would have hope that he would see this Brexit as an opportunity to start a Grexit and maybe call for another referendum which he then would adhere to because I believe more than 50 percent of the Greek people would be happy to get out of this misery imposed by the European Union.

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