But that signal backfired, however, when Mr Papoulias convened talks with all his country’s political parties last weekend. On the table was a secret deal from the EU that would have given Greece a breathing space to pay back its debts, and some new investment to help kick start its ravaged economy. He said, according to official minutes, that Herman Van Rompuy, the EU president, had told him that the election of Francois Hollande as France’s new socialist president meant “a new climate is forming in Europe and it will be a shame if we do not take advantage of it”.