Lawmaker: Give Germans subsidy to visit Greece
BERLIN (AP) — A German lawmaker is suggesting giving holidaymakers a subsidy to visit Greece and other ailing southern European economies.
Erwin Lotter of the Free Democrats says a government-sponsored vacation voucher would help boost the economies of the struggling countries, while helping to lift the mood in Germany where rainy weather has dampened public spirits this summer.
The idea floated by the lawmaker has been enthusiastically reported by German media, but seems unlikely to gain wider traction in Parliament, which is currently on its summer break.
Germany, the richest economy in the 17-country eurozone, has to pay proportionately more than others in Europe's bailouts.
