No retreat on Club Med gaffe

EUROGROUP chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem has refused to withdraw his comments that southern European countries blew their money on “drinks and women”.

“Certainly not,” Dijsselbloem said on Friday when asked if he would resign over the remarks.

Last month’s gaffe has weakened his position in the centre-left Labour Party which lost heavily in last month’s Dutch election. It has also placed in jeopardy his future as finance minister and his role in the Eurogroup, where he holds one of Europe’s most influential positions, chairing meetings of the eurozone’s finance ministers.

In an interview with Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on March 20, Dijsselbloem said that while coming to the aid of eurozone partners was important, “I can’t spend all my money on drinks and women and then ask for help”.