"The Board of Governors of the European Stability Mechanism approved today the ESM managing director's proposal for a financial assistance agreement with Greece," the board said in a statement.
A source said Greece will immediately receive a sum of €23bn that will allow Athens to make a loan repayment of €3.4bn due tomorrow to the European Central Bank.
Earlier, both Germany and the Netherlands endorsed the bailout deal for Greece.
German MPs overwhelmingly voted in favour of the bailout, heeding a call from Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble to give Greece the chance for a new start, despite his own concerns it might not work.
There was a sizeable rebellion in Chancellor Angela Merkel's own party ranks, however, suggesting she cannot return to parliament to seek aid for Athens again.
The Bundestag lower house of parliament, whose backing is essential for the release of bailout funds, approved the plan by 454 votes to 113, with 18 abstentions.
Reflecting popular misgivings and in a blow to Ms Merkel's authority, more than a fifth of her conservative bloc refused to back the package.
A record 63 conservatives opposed it, three more than in last month's vote on starting negotiations with Greece. A further three abstained...
rte.ie
19/8/15
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Related:
ESM approves third program for Greece (official statement)
Oh the Drachma! Syriza Splits, Dutch Divide, Germans Say 'Yes'
Spanish congress approves Greek bailout
Germany praises Greek stance shift in debt talks
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Griechenland: Euro-Finanzminister geben erste Kreditrate frei ...
ReplyDeleteDie Euro-Finanzminister haben die erste Kreditrate von 26 Milliarden Euro aus dem neuen Rettungsprogramm für Griechenland freigegeben. Der Gouverneursrat des Europäischen Stabilitätsmechanismus' (ESM) stimmte am Abend der Überweisung einer ersten Tranche an Athen zu, wie das aus den Finanzministern bestehende Gremium in Luxemburg mitteilte.
Das dritte Hilfspaket hat ein Gesamtvolumen von bis zu 86 Mrd. Euro für die nächsten drei Jahre und ist mit strengen Reform- und Sparauflagen verknüpft. Griechenland wird nun sofort eine Summe von 23 Mrd. Euro erhalten, wie es in mit den Vorgängen befassten Kreisen hieß. Damit kann Athen am Donnerstag eine fällige Rückzahlung in Höhe von 3,4 Mrd. Euro an die Europäische Zentralbank (EZB) leisten.
Die Finanzminister der Eurozone hatten für ihr grünes Licht noch die Zustimmung aus den letzten nationalen Parlamenten abgewartet. Als letzte Volksvertretung eines Euro-Landes machte das niederländische Parlament am Mittwoch den Weg für das neue Griechenland-Hilfspaket frei. Gegen großen Widerstand der Opposition stimmten sowohl die Koalitionsparteien der Rechtsliberalen und Sozialdemokraten als auch die linksliberale Oppositionspartei D66 mit knapper Mehrheit für die Milliardenhilfe für Griechenland zu......diepresse.com
Greece ‘repays 3.4 bln euros to European Central Bank’ ...
ReplyDeleteGreece has repaid 3.4 billion euros ($3.79 billion) due to the European Central Bank on Aug. 20, a source close to the Greek government said after the launch of a massive new reforms-for-bailout deal.
Greece was able to repay the loan as eurozone finance ministers announced that they had disbursed 13 billion euros to Athens and set aside another 10 billion euros to recapitalize the country’s cash-starved banks.
The finance ministers of the 19-country eurozone on late Aug. 19 announced that they had formally approved a new bailout worth up to 86 billion euros ($95 billion) after European parliaments, including the German Bundestag, had given it their green light.
Klaus Regling, the managing director of the Eurozone Stability Mechanism (ESM) that manages the bailout signaled Greece was making a fresh start.
“Today’s ESM disbursement (of 13 billion euros) will allow Greece to meet its urgent financial obligations to the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank, and other budgetary needs,” Regling said in a statement.
“The second sub-tranche of 10 billion euros will contribute to stabilizing the banking sector, whose situation deteriorated sharply after the imposition of capital controls in June,” he said.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the Dutch finance minister who chairs the so-called Eurogroup of his eurozone peers, said the reform-for-aid accord formally approved Wednesday would hopefully give Greece a new lease on life.
“This agreement provides perspective for the Greek economy and a basis for sustainable growth,” he said.
“The Greek government is bound to implementing this wide-ranging reform package with determination and we will monitor the process closely,” Dijsselbloem said.
“We are certain to encounter problems in the coming years but I trust we will be able to tackle them,” he added.
AFP
hurriyetdailynews.com
20/8/15