Greece, Creditors Agree Last Details of Bailout Deal — European Commission

Greece, Creditors Agree Last Details of Bailout Deal — European Commission

Germany, the biggest contributor to the bailouts, has deep doubts that Athens will deliver on its reform promises and on the wisdom of pouring billions more into the country.



Syriza dissenters angrily challenged the government during the all-night parliamentary session.

“After six months of very hard negotiations with lots of ups and downs, we finally have an agreement“, Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said last Friday.

But a revolt against leftwing PM Alexis Tsipras for agreeing to tax hikes and spending cuts demanded by global lenders, despite being elected in January on an anti-austerity ticket, could plunge the country into the uncertainty of fresh elections.

The move saves Greece from a disorderly default on its debts which could have come as soon as next week and helps to cement its membership of Europe’s single currency.

And twelve left-wing politicians announced this week they will create a new anti-bailout movement, with former energy minister and government dissenter Panagiotis Lafazanis saying he’ll join.

A senior law-maker, Makis Voridis, from the Opposition New Democracy party said his party would not vote in favour of the government, raising the odds that Mr Tsipras’s coalition could be toppled. He stopped short of quitting Syriza outright, however. That money that will pay off the European Central Bank on time.

“I do not regret my decision to compromise”, Tsipras said in Parliament in defense of the deal. “Our position can not be served by escape or by fantasy”.

“Faced with an ultimatum for Greece’s temporary exit from the euro, we assumed our responsibility towards the Greek people to stay alive and keep on fighting, rather than choose suicide”.

“In a few hours… using unfair arguments and unfair demands, there will be an effort from the side of Mr. Schaeuble to take back what has been agreed”, he said, referring to the finance ministers’ meeting scheduled for later in the day. “That would not be a defeat for Mr. Tsakalotos, or for Greece, but for Europe”.

Asked whether the bailout was a bluff package given that the creditors had already shown some leniency toward Greece on budget targets and some reform projects had been postponed, Spahn told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper: “The timetable must be adhered to”.

But the global Monetary Fund’s (IMF) role remains uncertain, and it will review the situation in Autumn, because it needs more assurances on and detail on Greek reforms and the sustainability of Greece’s debt burden. However, several Eurozone countries have previously said they oppose any additional debt relief for Greece.

But Greece is hoping that agreement to the tough measures will garner it some goodwill with exasperated EU leaders and possibly a degree of debt relief, which some Eurozone ministers have hinted is possible.

The third bailout package will be dispersed in three installments.

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