Brussels (AFP) – Alexis Tsipras continued his offensive Thursday in Brussels to try to reach an agreement before the end of June on continued funding of Greece and was to meet Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, after resumption of dialogue with the day before Paris and Berlin.
Greek Prime Minister must again discuss at 1200 GMT with Mr Juncker, on the sidelines of a summit EU-Latin America and Caribbean Union Brussels after a first interview yesterday. He met earlier with Juha Sipilä, Prime Minister of Finland, a generally somewhat indulgent with Greece.
“A certain impatience is felt. I am a human, so I share this feeling “said Juncker Thursday morning. Based on a German proverb, he did not hesitate to compare Greece to “a cow on ice venturing need to bring on land.” “We continue to try to push it,” he added.
The negotiations between Athens and its creditors, EU and IMF, have taken a new turn on Wednesday after meeting with the Greek Prime Minister German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande in Brussels.
They agreed to “intensify” efforts to reach an early agreement would allow the release of 7.2 billion euros, pending since August.
“Last night things have moved in the right direction,” ruled the French Finance Minister Michel Sapin, for whom it should “allow in the coming days to increase considerably. “
” We are now near the runway “but” we’re not there yet, “he nuanced Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Pierre Moscovici. “I really like the Greek tragedy but I think now we must really go to + + happy ending.”
These optimistic statements dopaient the Athens Stock Exchange, which jumped from 6.89% about 10:30 GMT.
In theory, an agreement must be approved no later than at the meeting of finance ministers of the euro zone on Thursday. “Deadlines are the Eurogroup of 18, the European summit of 25 and 26 and payment late,” summarized a European source.
“Every day counts,” stressed Ms Wednesday Merkel, while Athens has to repay nearly 1.6 billion euros to the IMF on June 30, when his term comes to its aid plan.
Without the reforms Agreement conditioning the payment of the aid, the country risks bankruptcy, as reiterated Thursday the president of the Bundesbank Jens Weidmann
-. New concessions for –
Faced with this emergency, discussions have accelerated in recent days, both technically and politically. After a brief cold snap, relations between Messrs. Tsipras and Juncker are significantly warmed himself with the hope of a possible agreement on a fiscal primary surplus that creditors want to set at 1% in 2015.
This number determines the amount of savings to be achieved by the country. On this question, “there is not much to do to find a common solution,” said a source close to the talks. Athens had proposed earlier this week a balance of 0.75% this year, to the chagrin of his creditors, but the Greek Government was willing to reconsider its position.
Further increases of taxes are also looming in the country, indicated that two Greek ministers in the morning. A perspective that has thrilled the union of Greek officials and the workers’ struggle front, close to the Communist party, which on Thursday called for demonstrations in Athens.
There will be “a slight tax increase taking care not to affect the low income “, admitted the Minister of Economy, George Stathakis, in an interview to ERT, public broadcasting service which resumed Thursday two years after its abrupt closure.
“At the moment we must increase government revenue without borrowing again. The tax system is still not right, we will try to ease the property tax. It is necessary that people understand that these measures are temporary and intended to promote economic recovery, “stressed George Katrougalos, Deputy Minister of Administrative Reform.
However, Athens does not seem ready to accept the 23% increase in VAT on electricity, desired by its creditors and is one of its red lines, with the pension reform.
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