Barroso: Greece must stay in euro zone

The President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso met here Wednesday evening with the Greek interim Prime Minister Panayiotis Pikrammenos ahead of an informal summit of EU leaders. "His government has a clearly defined yet vital role to play in the coming weeks. I reiterated the Commission's strong desire that Greece should remain a member of the euro area and that we will continue to do everything in our power for this to happen," said Barroso in press statements. The debt crisis in Greece is expected to dominate the summit of the 27 leaders of the European bloc. "The euro area has shown unprecedented solidarity to Greece and its people. It has made a commitment to maintain financial support for Greece as long as is necessary, assuming Greece maintains its commitment to implement the structural reforms that are essential for a return to growth," said the head of the EU's executive body.