Alexis Tsipras, the current prime minister of Greece, won the latest Greek election on an anti-austerity platform. Instead of finding a balance between fiscal reform and public resistance to such reform, Tsipras promised to work for the interests of the Greek people and take a hardline stance against EU-mandated fiscal reform. The worsening of the Greek debt crisis is largely a product of political factors. At 40, Alexis Tsipras is Greece's youngest-ever prime minister. He lacks personal experience in political and diplomatic negotiations, and the party he leads, Syriza, is also a very young party. The Tsipras government has strongly opposed the EU's requirements for fiscal reform with the excuse that Greek public opinion is against it. Such measures won't help solve the problem. The EU's ministers have basically reached consensus that they won't make an exception for Greece, which means the EU won't continue to provide aid to Greece unless the Greek government accepts the EU's fiscal reform plan. The crux of the current Greek debt crisis is the inability to reach a political compromise among the current Greek government, the EU and the Greek people.

Because Greece is a small country that relies heavily on the EU, the Greek government needs to perform better in its role as a mediator between its people and the EU. The Tsipras government, with its scant political experience and subpar negotiation tactics, obviously lacks such a capacity. If the Tsipras government cannot ease the tension between Greece and the EU, the crisis may foment further, leading to a Grexit. The outcome will be a heavy blow to Greece.

Thus far, it appears that the Tsipras government hasn't decided to break up with the EU. It is seeking to negotiate with the EU and European powers like Germany and France. An immature government and an indiscreet politician won't solve the Greek debt problem. The Greek debt issue is a blend of a large number of questions concerning both financial and political factors in addition to the issue of European integration. The Greek government should coordinate with relevant parties rather than try to please its voters.

The author is a postdoctoral student at the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

This article was first published in Chinese and translated by Li Huiru.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

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