Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem on Wednesday expressed "regret" over his comments, that some have labelled "racist",  which he said southern European countries blew their money on "drinks and women", but rejected calls to resign. 

 "I regret it if anyone is offended by the remark. It was direct, and can be explained from strict Dutch, Calvinistic culture, with Dutch directness," Dijsselbloem, who is also Dutch finance minister, said in a statement to AFP. "I have no intention to step down," he added. 

 Dijsselbloem was under fire after giving an interview that appeared in Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper on Monday. In it Dijsselbloem said that while financial rescues for poorer nations in the eurozone was important, "I can't spend all my money on drinks and women and then ask for help."

 Southern Europeans reacted strongly, with Portugal's prime minister and former Italian premier Matteo Renzi calling for Dijsselbloem to step down.  "The sentence referring to alcohol and women was about myself. I said that I cannot expect that if I spend my money in a wrong way that I can then ask for financial support," Dijssebloem said.   

 Mediterranean countries Portugal, Greece and Cyprus have all received eurozone bailouts in recent years -- as has Ireland in northern Europe -- while Spain's banks have also received support. "I regret that my message was misunderstood and I regret that it was emerged as north against south," Dijsselbloem said in his statement. "I don't experience a north-south division myself, (nor) in the Eurogroup," he added.

Dijsselbloem, 50, holds one of Europe's most influential positions, chairing the meetings of finance ministers from the 19-country eurozone. But his job was already up in the air after his party lost out in elections last week.  His mandate as head of the Eurogroup lasts until January 2018. 

(Source: AFP)