Arriving at the G20 in Cannes and ahead of this afternoon's consultation and working meetings, European Commission President Barroso made the following statement:

"I want to make a very urgent and heartfelt appeal for national and political unity in Greece.

In the European Union we have agreed on far reaching measures to support Greece. But for those measures to be implemented it is critically important to have stability in the country.

Without the agreement of Greece to the EU/IMF programme, the conditions for Greek citizens would become much more painful, in particular for the most vulnerable. The consequences would be impossible to foresee.

That is why I call on the government and the political leaders of Greece to show that they are ready to work for national political unity and for achieving the broad support needed for the implementation of the programme. Indeed, the Commission has been asking for this kind of support since the beginning of the crisis.

If this support was important yesterday, it is absolutely crucial today".