Finance ministers sealed the decision in a one-hour telephone conference convened by Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem after the new leftist-led Athens government sent him a detailed list of reforms it plans to implement by July.
“Following Eurogroup teleconference decision, national procedures for extension of the Greek programme can begin,” Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission vice-president for the euro, said on Twitter.
The ministers reviewed a six-page document signed by Marxist Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis that watered down campaign promises to halt privatisations, boost welfare spending and raise the minimum wage, vowing to consult partners before key reforms and to keep them budget-neutral.
Both the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund called the Greek letter “sufficiently comprehensive to be a valid starting point for a successful conclusion of the review”.
In a statement, the 19-nation Eurogroup urged Greece to develop and broaden the list of reform measures, based on “the current arrangement” - a euphemism for the bailout agreement which leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had vowed to scrap.
In a foretaste of tough negotiations to come, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said the reform plan was “not very specific” and much clearer assurances would be needed on key reforms of pensions, taxation and privatisation.
And Slovak Finance Minister Peter Kazimir, reflecting deep scepticism among northern European fiscal haws, said: “Greeks have lots of heavy lifting to do until end-April. We all want to see numbers now.”
Financial markets surged even before confirmation of the extension of the 240 billion euro EU/IMF bailout, saving Greece for now from an imminent banking collapse, state bankruptcy and a possible disorderly exit from the euro zone.
The country’s longer-term financial future remains uncertain with Dijsselbloem telling the European Parliament the euro zone’s most heavily indebted member is likely to need further assistance after two bailouts since 2010............................http://www.france24.com/en/20150224-greek-bailout-extension-eurozone-approve/
24/2/15
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L'Eurogroupe a confirmé mardi lors d'une téléconférence qu'il avait prolongé de quatre mois le programme d'aide financière à la Grèce, a annoncé une source européenne...
ReplyDelete"L'Eurogroupe estime que le plan de réforme présenté par la Grèce suffit pour lancer les négociations. Les ministres ont confirmé leur décision de prolonger le programme d'aide de quatre mois", a déclaré la source.................. http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20150224/1014878469.html#ixzz3SgGDWpEa
24/2/15
The Eurozone finance ministers announced Tuesday they have approved a four-month extension to the Greek bailout program...
ReplyDeleteThe 19 ministers said in a statement that the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund “consider this list of measures [presented by the Greek authorities] to be sufficiently comprehensive to be a valid starting point for a successful conclusion of the review.”
“We therefore agreed to proceed with the national procedures with a view to reaching the final decision on the extension by up to four months of the current Master Financial Assistance Facility Agreement,” the ministers’ statement reads.
Parliaments in several of the eurozone's member states must now vote on the Athens’s proposals...................http://sputniknews.com/news/20150224/1018688788.html#ixzz3SgHtrCWl
24/2/15
L’Ue alla Grecia: “La lista delle riforma è ok ma Atene dovrà essere estenderla”...
ReplyDeleteIl piano contiene tagli ai costi della politica e lotta all’evasione. Draghi e Fmi: «Punto di partenza». Bene Borsa e spread.
L’Eurogruppo ha tenuto conto del «primo punto di vista» di Fmi, Bce e Ue sulla lista di riforme presentata dal governo greco e considera «questo elenco di misure un punto di partenza valido per una positiva conclusione del riesame». Lo si legge nel comunicato diffuso dall’Eurogruppo tenuto oggi in teleconferenza. Tuttavia, precisano i ministri delle Finanze dell’eurozona, «chiediamo alle autorità greche di sviluppare ulteriormente e ampliare l’elenco delle misure di riforma, in base alla disposizione attuale, in stretto coordinamento con le istituzioni al fine di consentire una conclusione rapida e positiva della revisione». L’Eurogruppo sottolinea che un ulteriore esame da parte delle istituzioni al piano di riforme avverrà «al più tardi entro la fine di aprile»............................http://www.lastampa.it/2015/02/24/economia/il-piano-greco-arriva-allesame-di-bruxelles-tsipras-prepara-patrimoniale-e-lotta-allevasione-oMHk2obrknM9PNryyYxlYJ/pagina.html
24/2/15