Yet Mr Papandreou also accepts that Greece has made itself vulnerable, as it is “the euro zone's weakest link.

International investors began to target Ireland as a weak link in the euro zone, raising its borrowing costs to unsustainable levels.

With 40 stations, and at a cost of 21 billion euro($32 billion), it will link the airports with the business centres, such as La Défense, and some banlieues.