About: Yanis Varoufakis

Stop demonising China, Varoufakis tells Europe
Greece's former finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, now standing as a leftist candidate for the European Commission presidency, told the EU on Tuesday (26 March) to stop blaming China for an unbalanced economic relationship because the playing field "was never levelled in Europe".
EU court shields ECB from disclosing key document in Greek crisis
The European Union's court on Tuesday denied access to a European Central Bank (ECB) document which underpinned its decision to freeze vital funding to Greek banks in 2015, a turning point in the country's financial crisis.
Varoufakis: There is no real European Left, I am running against them
Yanis Varoufakis, the Spitzenkandidat for leftist Democracy in Europe (DiEM25), told EURACTIV Germany it was “painful” but he would run against the European Left, which is not united and civilised.
Varoufakis to enter EU politics, in Germany
Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, who was outspoken in his criticism of the austerity policies championed by Berlin at the height of the eurozone’s debt crisis, is to stand in European elections next year - in Germany.
European Left leader: All leftwing and progressive parties must oppose rise of far-right
Progressive forces need to stand up to the rise of far-right movements by building a social, Gregor Gysi said in an interview with EURACTIV, and the run-up to the EU elections provides a "historic window of opportunity".
Romania’s former EU Commissioner starts new political party
Romania's former EU Agriculture Commissioner, Dacian Cioloș, who also briefly headed a technocratic government in 2016, has started a new political party just as the country gears up for presidential elections next year and parliamentary elections in 2020.
Summit to set rules in race to succeed Juncker
The race to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the first post-Brexit European Commission begins later this month – and in typical EU style it is starting with a row about how the race should be run.
EU auditors insist on full probe into ECB’s role in Greek bailouts
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) insists it had the right to look into the role of the European Central Bank in Greek bailouts, based on the Lisbon Treaty and a European Parliament resolution, and is now seeking ways to access the documents the ECB has refused to hand over.
Varoufakis tells Macron to adopt the ‘empty-chair’ tactic
Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis supports Macron’s federalist proposals on the euro single currency but believes only a real threat could make Germany budge on the issue. EURACTIV France reports.
Trans-Europe Express: Germany’s tolerance deficit
Asked to explain the AfD’s surge in the polls, Merkel offered a strictly economic analysis. The problem was that she was wrong.
‘Open the ECB’s Black Box’ say Varoufakis and De Masi
The Greek economy is still in crisis, contracting 1.2% in the quarter. The figures, published by the Greek statistics agency, Elstat, show it was the worst quarter since the summer of 2015, when the European Central Bank closed the Greek banks.
Varoufakis urges next Spanish leader to defy Brussels
Greece's far-left former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis called yesterday (21 February) on the next leader of Spain to defy the European Union, speaking to hundreds of cheering onlookers during an anti-austerity gathering in Madrid.
Gesine Schwan: Refugee crisis has exposed EU’s ‘pseudo-solidarity’
Whether it’s the refugee or financial crisis, Germany always stands in the way of European solidarity, endangering the entire EU, warned Gesine Schwan in an interview with EURACTIV Germany.
Varoufakis: China was ready to support Greece, but Berlin killed the deal
Athens had secured a funding deal with China during the crucial negotiations with its creditors last summer. But a phone call from Berlin to Beijing killed it, Yanis Varoufakis disclosed on Tuesday (19 January). EURACTIV Greece reports.
Varoufakis to launch new movement in Berlin
Former Greek Minister for Finance Yanis Varoufakis is planning a comeback - in Germany. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Tsipras and Varoufakis: A messy split
Alexis Tsipras and Yanis Varoufakis shared a vision once, but the double act of the Greek debt drama's most colourful characters now appears well and truly over.
Varoufakis: Greek deal was a coup d’état
Ignoring the will of the people by pursuing unpopular austerity policies plays into the hands of Europe's extreme right, say Yanis Varoufakis and Arnaud Montebourg. EURACTIV France reports.
Are Paris and Berlin really divided over Greece?
In an interview with Handelsblatt, Michel Sapin said Wolfgang Schäuble was “wrong” about Grexit, but the French-German relationship goes from strength to strength. La Tribune reports.
A Greek Versailles?
Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis denounced the July bailout agreed between prime minister Alexis Tsipras and the eurozone leaders as a “new Versailles Treaty”. Quincy Cloet asks if this is a fair comparison.
Varoufakis’ allegations ‘false and unfounded’, says Commission
"On what Mr Varoufakis has been saying, the allegations that the troika was controlling the secretariat general of public revenues are false and unfounded," European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva told a news briefing, referring to the "troika" of Greece's creditors the Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund.
Brussels denies Varoufakis’ claims that troika controlled Greek tax agency
The European Commission on Tuesday (28 July) sharply denied claims by Greece's ex-finance minister Yanis Varoufakis that creditors overseeing Greece's bailout also controlled the country's tax agency.
Syriza rocked by reports of secret drachma plan
Some members of Greece's leftist government wanted to raid central bank reserves and hack taxpayer accounts to prepare a return to the drachma, according to reports on Sunday (26 July) that highlighted the chaos in the ruling Syriza party.
Greek parliament approves bailout
Greece's parliament passed sweeping austerity measures demanded by lenders to open talks on a new bailout package early Thursday (16 July), but dozens of hardliners in the ruling Syriza party deserted Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.