Den finske utenriksminister  Erkki Tuomiojas uttalelser om at Finland tror at Hellas forlater eurosonen, rommet mer sprengkraft enn bare denne spådommen.

Europaminister Alexander Stubbs korrigering/korreks av Tuomioja stjal oppmerksomheten.

For utenriksministeren, som kommer fra sosialdemokratene, sa noe på vegne av Finland som medlem av EU som alle som følger eurokrisen bør legge seg på minnet: Det er grenser for Finlands vilje til å hjelpe land som ikke kan eller vil hjelpe seg selv.

Leder av parlamentets Europakomite, Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, sa det enda tydeligere: Et lite land kan ikke i det lange løp hjelpe et stort.

Derfor har Finland sikret seg. Det er et absolutt krav at forløperen til EUs Stabiliseringsfond, ESM, har førsteprioritet til sine lån til Hellas, på linje med Pengfondet. Selv om det betyr at investorer ikke vil skyte inn penger i Italia og Spania. Det er den garantien finske skattebetalere har for å få igjen noe av pengene sine.

Finland har sikret seg denne førsteprioriteten og kommer ikke til å la seg rokke, selv om EUs sentralbanksjef Mario Draghi sier det motsatte.

Tuomioja sier rett ut at han ikke stoler på “disse menneskene”.

He voiced deep suspicion of plans by a “gang of four” EU insiders — including the European Central Bank’s Mario Draghi — to ensnare member states into some form of fiscal union. “I don’t trust these people,” he said.

Finland har sikret seg ved at enhver forandring av Stabliseringsmekanismens førsteprioritet må vedtas av nasjonalforsamlingen. Der er motstanden massiv. Det kommer ikke til å skje. Hvorfor ikke? Sannfinnpartiet fikk 19 % ved siste valg, hvor mange vil de få ved neste hvis Finland forlover seg? spør den sosialdemokratiske utenriksministeren. Slik virker demokratiet.

Tuomioja gir en meget drastisk beskrivelse av situasjonen i Europa: Økonomiene forblør.

“There are no rules on how to leave the euro but it is only a matter of time. Either the south or the north will break away because this currency straitjacket is causing misery for millions and destroying Europe’s future.

“It is a total catastrophe. We are going to run out of money the way we are going. But nobody in Europe wants to be first to get out of the euro and take all the blame,” he said.

…

Mr Tuomioja said Finland would block attempts to strip the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) or bail-out fund of its senior status at the top of the credit ladder, a move that could greatly complicate efforts to lure investors back into Spanish and Italian bonds. “The ESM loans have priority. That is a red line for us. We are very concerned that the rules of the ESM seem to be changing.”

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Mr Draghi said two weeks ago that the issue of seniority would be “addressed” as part of his twin-pronged plan for the ECB and ESM to buy bonds in concert. A number of EU leaders and officials claimed there had been a deal on the ESM’s seniority status at an EU summit in late June. Finland, Holland, and Germany all deny this.

The warnings on the ESM were echoed by Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, chairman of the Finnish parliament’s Grand Committee on Europe, who said bail-out fatigue is nearing its limit.

“Our law passed this summer says the ESM has the same priority as the IMF. There was a clear understanding on this. Any change would require a new law passed by the whole parliament, and this would be very difficult because the risks would be much higher.”

The issue of EU senior status has become an extremely sensitive one for markets after the ECB and EU creditors refused to share losses from Greece’s debt restructuring, in which pension funds, insurers, and banks lost 75pc.

Critics say the Greek deal set a fatal precedent, triggering further capital flight from Spain and Italy.

Mrs Kumpula-Natri said Finland can be pushed only so far. “There is a feeling on the street that there has to be a limit. I can’t say whether it is 10pc of GDP, or what. It’s not written. But it is obvious that a small country can’t help big countries eternally.”

Finland prepares for break-up of eurozone
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