Greece’s central bank took the unusual step of siding against the government in its five-month stand-off with bailout creditors, urging leaders to sign up to a deal offered two weeks ago or risk an “uncontrollable crisis” that might force Athens out of the EU.
The unprecedented statement, issued yesterday as part of a regular Bank of Greece report, is the first time any national authority has publicly broached the possibility that Greece might face ejection from the 28-country club it joined in 1981, seven years after its return to democracy.
It was also a severe blow to the week-long effort by Alexis Tsipras, the prime minister, to shore up domestic support for his brinkmanship with creditors, whom he has accused of “pillaging” Greece and of “criminal responsibility” for its economic plight.