MEP Marisa Matias defied the president of the European Council to reveal the existence of an Euro that is “direct investment in employment” among the measures that have come to be adopted to fight the crisis. “Why is it that governments only worry with the austerity?”, insisted the elected by the Left Bloc recalling that, according to the European Commission itself, the labor cost is only the fifth concern of small and medium European companies (SMC's).

The questions of the MEP from the Unitarian Left group (GUE/NGL) were proffered during an informal debate about the last meeting of the European Council in the European Parliament mini-session of plenary in Brussels.

Marisa Matias stressed that in the Council's last meeting the Commission's president, Durão Barroso, presented the results of an inquiry to the European SMC's about their main problems and their main difficulties, and where costs with the workers only appears in fifth place.

“In first place”, Marisa Matias informed, “comes the lack of clients, which is equal to recession; secondly, the lack of bank credit, another consequence of crisis...”

Thus, the MEP directly questioned mr. Van Rompuy, president of Council, “why do you, gentlemen, are only concerned with the austerity?”

“Why do you insist in the reduction of salaries as the solution?”, the MEP from Left Bloc insisted. “What is wrong? The inquiry? Your proposals? Both at the same time?”

Marisa Matias recalled that “we are here to solve people's problems, not to throw sand into their eyes... Tell us”, she defied “one Euro of direct investment in employment”.