Alexis Tsipras with European leaders in Brussels.
In th e dispute over the future of European aid program for Greece has come back movement. Since Friday negotiate in Brussels experts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB) again with the Greek government.
Author: Werner Mussler, born in 1966, business correspondent in Brussels
The talks are expected to last throughout the weekend were on the edge of the EU summit on Thursday night between the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and the head the Euro group, the Dutch Minister of Finance Jeroen Dijsselbloem been agreed. They should form a basis for discussion but repeated negotiations of euro zone finance ministers on Monday.
The conversation blockade, which was created after the scandal at the meeting of the Euro Group on the night of Thursday, overcome. On the merits, both sides are of course far apart. In the center of the dispute is unchanged whether Athens must meet the requirements of the current aid program, which expires at the end of February. German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) persisted after t he peak of the night that the program is maintained, but also expressed confidence that it will come to an agreement.
In contrast, Dijsselbloem announced Friday pessimistic. Given the state of the Greek economy, he sees little scope for renegotiation of the current aid program, he said on Dutch television. It will be very difficult to reach an agreement on Monday. In view of the Greek plans to expand the government spending, the minister said: “You can only spend money that you have.” At the meeting of the Euro Group on Wednesday ECB President Mario Draghi had the difficult financial situation of the financial sector and the State pointed out.
Negotiation Ready creditors are apparently more symbolic issues, but have a high value for the Greek government for domestic political reasons. So are the representatives of the IMF, the EU Commission and the ECB, which are now negotiating with Athens no longer be called “troika”, but only “institutions”. The talks will be held no longer in Athens but in Brussels for the time being. But the professionals’ have the same problem as before, namely the enforcement of program content. In between was in Brussels, the jocular name “Tifkat” made the rounds: “” The institution formerly known as troika “(” The institution, which was formerly known as the troika “)
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In an interview on Friday was also that the creditor no longer insist on an end of the current program and instead unfulfilled obligations in a new program pack. In Brussels, it was said, however, this option is not yet voted among the euro countries, is also open whether Athens einließe it. Tsipras had said on Thursday night that he would accept the reform requirements of the previous program in any case.
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The current discussions of “institutions” with the Greek government should clarify whether the reform and spending plans the government Tsipras are to bring the program runs for cover and how they differ. Based on this inventory, the Minister shall negotiate again on Monday. Tsipras plans to cut about a third of the previous editions reportedly. In Brussels, the rejected. A senior EU official said, the existing obligations are not set in stone. But if reforms are modified, must take their place other measures having equivalent effect to occur.
The price of Greek government remains unpredictable. After Tsipras had agreed to those conversations on Thursday evening, where his finance minister Yannis Varoufakis had even deni ed in Euro group the night before an interview the Minister as “mirror” was said on Friday that gave a new confusion. Varoufakis is called again a haircut – a claim that had given up his provisional government a few days ago, because such a step for the solution of the acute Greek problem is irrelevant. In addition Varoufakis compared the Troika, the CIA. The Troika there decent people, but also the CIA, there were very good people who had been employed against their will in the torture method of “waterboarding”.
For excitement also saw a cartoon in the party newspaper of SYRIZA, the German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble shows as members of the Wehrmacht, which threatens the Greeks. The publication ha s caused resentment in Berlin. Schaeuble’s spokesman said officially, of course, is true freedom. As his personal position he then added, however, to: “The cartoon is disgusting.”
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