Splitting Opinion: Europe Divided On Germany After Greek Debt Crisis

A YouGov sample of seven European countries found that among those surveyed, the British public were heavily critical of Germany, with 50 percent of respondents saying they thought Berlin managed the Greek debt crisis poorly, while only 21 percent said they thought the German team handled things well.

A majority of French and Finnish respondents also thought Germany handled the crisis badly, while Germans themselves were the most critical, with 51 percent saying they weren’t impressed with the manner in which negotiations were conducted.

However, it’s thought that much of the German criticism came from people who thought officials weren’t tough enough on Greece.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble were both heavily criticized for their role in the Greek debt negotiations, with the pair accused of being too tough and uncompromising during talks with Athens.

Mr Schauble was singled out by former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, who claimed that Germany was willing to sacrifice Greece and use it as a lesson towards other Eurozone countries that may have been thinking of pursuing different economic agendas.

But despite the criticism, it seems Germany’s strong hand during negotiations was well received in Northern European and Scandinavian countries.

A majority of respondents in Norway, Sweden and Denmark thought Germany handled debt negotiations well, with the figures revealing a deep divide between the opinions of different European citizens following the debt crisis.

Cracks in Paris-Berlin Alliance

Not only has the Greek debt crisis divided public opinion in Europe, but it has also revealed the cracks in a number of the EU’s political alliances.

While the European Union has been driven by the strong Franco-German alliance in recent times, there have been signs that the continent’s two most dominant powers don’t always see eye to eye.

French President Francois Hollande was among the strongest advocates to keep Greece in the Eurozone, following suggestions from some German hardliners that Athens should return to its former currency, the drachma.

Meanwhile, further highlighting the strained relationship between the European heavyweights, French Finance Minister Michel Sapin recently told German media that Schauble was "wrong" to put forward plans for a temporary Grexit from the single currency.

Many commentators have noted that the Greek crisis has exposed the cracks and differences in ideology between EU countries, with German officials accused of sacrificing decades of political capital in order to make an example out of Greece.