imposing

According to Wolfgang Nowak, chief economic advisor to Gerhard Schroeder, the German chancellor who himself implemented painful economic and welfare reforms at the beginning of this century, Germans will demand that Greece shapes up.

"Germans just don't like to pay for people to retire early, to claim several holiday bonuses," he said. "We hear that Greeks are not ready to accept change in these things and are blaming Germany, but the reality is that Germany is already having to adapt to keep up with the economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China. Greece must adapt too."

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Such is the disillusionment within Germany about what is perceived as a Mediterranean work ethic in direct contrast to the discipline at home that a cultural chasm has opened up between northern and southern Europe. The EU must take the opportunity to bridge that chasm by imposing a fresh, northern-European rigour on Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain (the so-called PIGS), said Mr Nowak.

"It's cultural," he said. "These [southern European] states must adapt. If we help Greece we must help Portugal and Spain too. It's a chain reaction". (aqui)