Uncharacteristically populist statements  made by Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday night about the European Union's heavily indebted southern nations have sparked widespread outrage in Germany, particularly among opposition politicians, who called them "anti-European," "cheap" and "absurd."

At a party event for her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the western city of Meschede, the chancellor effectively accused the Greeks, Spaniards and Portuguese of enjoying too much vacation and retiring young. In addition to getting their debts under control, people there should not "be able to retire earlier than in Germany" and ought to "exert themselves more or less equally," she said.

"We can't have a common currency where some get lots of vacation time and others very little. That won't work in the long term," she added in remarks that seemed tailored to a sympathetic conservative audience members, a number of whom have voiced resistance to providing any more aid to those countries as they struggle to stay afloat.

Aside from claims that Merkel's calculations about retirement and holidays were simply incorrect, opposition politicians on Wednesday accused the chancellor of making dangerously divisive comments at a critical time when doubts are mounting  over the efficacy of bailout packages for ailing euro-zone economies.

"Ms. Merkel is once again opting for populism over substantive arguments," opposition Social Democrat leader Sigmar Gabriel told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "It is shameful that Merkel is gambling away the European idea ... only to receive praise from the tabloids. She is fomenting anti-European resentment."

The Greens were equally scathing in their critique of Merkel. Green Party co-leader Cem Özdemir told SPIEGEL ONLINE that Merkel's "arbitrary selection of specific issues doesn't help countries like Greece, Portugal and Spain, nor does it reflect reality."

Daniel Cohn-Bendit, who leads the Greens in the European Parliament, called Merkel's comments "absurd." "Of course people in southern Europe work a lot," he said. Instead of "looking for cheap applause," Merkel should make concrete proposals, he added.

On Thursday, German dailies continue grappling with the implications of Merkel's remarks.

The Financial Times Deutschland writes:

"Greece, Spain and Portugal all have the same legal retirement age as we do here in Germany -- 65. The actual age of retirement is also similar between the Germans and those in the southern countries, though these numbers say nothing about economic power. Otherwise Bavaria, with its many Catholic holidays, would be doing much worse than Berlin economically. Merkel's push for a comparison here is both unnecessary and absurd."

"Merkel and her economic advisors are stoking fears that are, in fact, totally unjustified. In her eyes this likely has a justifiable logic, though. In front of her own people the chancellor can play the hard negotiator who demands tough reforms in exchange for aid. And the authorities can act as if they are looking towards long-term consequences with their warnings to ensure they'll be needed then."

"But in the end they only serve populist methods and take advantage of the people's fears. It's neither responsible nor believable -- for the advisors or the chancellor herself."

The left-wing Berliner Zeitung writes:

"Until now Germany was considered to be the world champion in terms of the vacation time its workers get. But a look at the statistics shows that the legal entitlement to time off is 20 days in Germany and 25 days in Greece. Greece also has 12 national holidays, whereas Germany only has 10. Of course, many Germans have more vacation that that, but it is not state guaranteed. A comparative look at the retirement age also shows that many Greeks still retire at the fresh age of 55."

"So what was so terrible about what the chancellor said that Sigmar Gabriel now accuses her of 'populism?' What she said was already consensus among everyone -- the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the countries that want to help Greece. That is, Greece must lower its state expenditures and reduce its debts. To return the debate to the facts perhaps it should be considered that Germany, namely the chancellor, has changed her hard stance from the beginning of the crisis (No aid for a country that mismanaged its economy!), to a kind of empathetic liberalism towards the Greeks. Today it is Merkel speaking in favor of soft debt restructuring and loan extensions."

The tabloid daily Bild writes:

"It's a self-evident truth: Those who want things must work for them … If Angela Merkel demands this from the countries in crisis, then one can only say the chancellor is right."

"Remember: In the last few years the Germans have cut back in an unprecedented scale. We've done without higher salaries, adopted the new Hartz IV welfare system for the long-term unemployed, and soon won't retire until the age of 69."

"In short, the economic recovery didn't fall from the sky, but was paid for with hard work and frugality. Therefore it cannot be that some are forced to scrimp and save while others spare themselves and cash in!"

The conservative Die Welt writes:

"The chancellor is disgusted that the Greeks, Spaniards or Portuguese retire earlier than the Germans. And Angela Merkel feels the vacation enjoyed by the southern Europeans is also inappropriately long. The message is that those who want money from us need to work as hard as we do. The words of the chancellor show what direction the European train is moving in. The key word is harmonization."

"As right as it is for the countries in crisis to spare no effort to stabilize, it would be just as wrong to prescribe them all the same medicine. The responsibility for the national budget programs lies with their democratically elected governments. Perhaps Greece will find another way than we have to reduce their social costs."