EPA Schulz angers allies with Greek hard line Even members of his own party are critical of the European Parliament president.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz is under fire from members of his own party who say his statements on the Greek referendum have been too combative, too focused on national politics and often unexpected.

Schulz’s high profile on the issue in recent days has included several confrontational speeches and media interviews in which he pushed for a Yes vote from Greek voters, accused Greek government officials of not negotiating in good faith, and maintained a hard line on the EU position on bailout terms.

In a public statement after the polls closed Sunday, Schulz said that Greece’s No on the referendum put it at odds with “18 other members” of the eurozone. He also said it was “up to the Greek government to make proposals that would convince the eurozone and the institutions in Brussels that it is necessary, possible, and even effective, to renegotiate.”

The remarks drew immediate criticism — even from within Schulz’s own party group, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. Several MEPs interviewed for this article said Schulz’s statements veered from the party line and seemed designed to appeal to German, rather than pan-European, sensibilities.

“Schulz’s comments were incomprehensible,” said Sergio Cofferati, an Italian MEP and prominent member of the S&D group. “He is supporting a rigorous line that is different from what we stand for.”

Cofferati echoed the sentiments of many S&D members after the vote result when he said that “socialists should send a message that goes beyond the austerity policy, defends a re-launch of negotiations to keep Greece in Europe, and pledges for a change in European policies through a re-writing of treaties.”

S&D members said the group had hoped to stay above the domestic political dispute of the vote in Greece and didn’t want to appear as if its members were campaigning one way or the other.

“I’ve spent the whole week telling my group that we couldn’t call for a Yes vote,” said Pervenche Berès, a French MEP. “Schulz made these comments without consulting with the group bureau. It was not the right formula.”

Other S&D leaders had sought to send that softer message. Gianni Pittella, the president of the group, said Sunday night that its members hoped the Greek government would come back to the negotiating table “with a renewed responsible attitude” and called on member states to stop with “unacceptable rigidity, national selfishness and domestic political games.”

For many in Parliament, tensions between Schulz and his political group had been simmering for weeks. Some see his comments in the Greek debate as a sign he wants to seek reappointment as president of the European Parliament — for which he would need support from center-right European People’s Party members — or that he is positioning himself for a post-Parliament political career in Germany.

“His views are too personal and too close to the EPP,” said one Parliament source in the party group. “He should be more cautious. We don’t know what he has in the back of his mind, but he is certainly trying to renew his mandate now.”

The criticism goes beyond the Greece issues.

Last month, Schulz angered many in his party group when he postponed a long-awaited vote to endorse the EU’s negotiating position on a transatlantic trade deal due to growing divisions within the S&D bloc on the controversial Investor State Dispute Settlement provision.

“I hope that he’s aware that things are really heating up against him now,” the party source said. “This is getting ridiculous! I told him recently that we’ve had enough of these ‘I decide on my own’ methods.”

Some S&D members are calling for Schulz to explain his recent statements in a group meeting Tuesday in Strasbourg.

Schulz could not be reached for comment, but a European Parliament spokesperson said: “As a mediator, the president has tried to put together and keep everyone around the table until the last moment. He has done it constantly, with tremendous effort and energy as well as with the best intentions, including after the announcement of a referendum by the Greek government.”

Anger at Schulz’s posturing on Greece also came, more predictably, from beyond the S&D group. Constance Le Grip, a French member of the EPP, said Schulz’s calls for Tspiras’ resignation “were categorical and shocking.”

Michèle Rivasi, a French MEP from the Greens said: “I condemn and break away from the statements of the President of the European Parliament. Mr. Schulz, you should respect democracy!”

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