IT HASN’T been the easiest of years for euro zone central bankers, who even in the best of times are not known for their sense of humour. But the Dutch central bank has led the way in terms of festive cheer this week – by distributing Christmas hampers with a Greek theme to its 2,000 staff.
Employees at the bank’s headquarters in Amsterdam couldn’t believe their eyes when they opened their beautifully packed baskets to find not just feta cheese, vine leaves, wine, olive oil and vinegar, but a colourful travel guide and a book on Greek mythology.
Lest there should be any suggestion that this immaculate combination had been put together by chance, each hamper was accompanied by an explanatory letter extolling the virtues of Hellenic culture, traditions, nature and gastronomy.
A spokesman for the central bank denied the hampers were intended to make fun of Greece’s crushing financial difficulties, which have brought the country to the brink of economic and political collapse, and left its banks facing an imminent liquidity crisis.
“Greece has been in the news a lot recently, and that – not the economic crisis – was why we decided to show the country in a positive light in our Christmas hampers,” he maintained, in a brief, somewhat embarrassed, statement.
“It was intended to draw attention to a whole range of aspects of the Greek way of life, without any reference to the economy. Last year the hampers had a different national theme. It was . . . Dutch.”
The hamper saga has been greeted with amusement by the public, who are, in general, more than a little sceptical about Greece’s ability to turn around its affairs. In a recent survey, 51 per cent of Dutch wanted Greece expelled from the euro; 58 per cent wanted to end financial support; and 72 per cent believed Athens would never repay its EU/International Monetary Fund loans.
The hamper cost €65 per employee to put together – a price critics say is too expensive given the state of the economy and the fact taxpayers will foot the bill.