European Commission: expelling members isn’t possible

With German, Dutch and Finish politicians directing harsh new rhetoric at Greece, the European Commission has been forced to remind EU politicians that it’s all but impossible to expel members. Via EUobserver: Responding to suggestions both from Germany and the Netherlands that countries that do not adhere to strict budget discipline be required to dump ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

With German, Dutch and Finish politicians directing harsh new rhetoric at Greece, the European Commission has been forced to remind EU politicians that it's all but impossible to expel members. Via EUobserver:

With German, Dutch and Finish politicians directing harsh new rhetoric at Greece, the European Commission has been forced to remind EU politicians that it’s all but impossible to expel members. Via EUobserver:

Responding to suggestions both from Germany and the Netherlands that countries that do not adhere to strict budget discipline be required to dump the euro, EU economy spokesman Amadeu Altafaj-Tardio on Thursday insisted that there is no debate happening at any level on whether Greece should be kicked out.

"There is no discussion whatsoever on such an eventuality," he told reporters in Brussels.

"Neither exit nor expulsion from the euro area is possible, according to the Lisbon treaty under which participation in the euro area is irrevocable," he added, referring to the European Union’s rule-book.

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

Tags: EU, Europe

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.