18:58 clock
Again, the alarm bells ringing in the Greek crisis. While talks were placed between donors and the government in Athens on ice threatens the Greek government money going out. In the midst of the crisis began in Brussels on Thursday a two-day EU summit, where the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in a small circle will represent the difficult situation in his country.
How precarious is the situation?
According to the authorities responsible for financial and economic issues Athenians Deputy Prime Minister Giannis Dragasakis Greece is facing serious financial difficulties, “It’s true, we run the risk that we run out of money,” Dragasakis confessed in the television channel “Alpha”
. but
He blamed the creditor is responsible: “Let the government does not govern” Dragasakis said. Since last August, the country had received no loan rates from the bailout more. By 2020, Greece had to pay 43 billion euros for interest and other 83 billion for the redemption of maturing bonds, said the Deputy Prime Minister.
The Athenians financial need is so great that the government now public utilities such as water works, electricity works and wants the telecom group OTE borrow money. The company will buy at the insistence of the government short-term government money market securities, reported the newspaper “Kathimerini”. Financial problems are exacerbated by the fact that now again more Greeks vacate their accounts. Only last Wednesday 350 to 400 million euros, according to estimates from banking circles drained.
Loaded the latest Athenian social law relationship with donors?
The Greek parliament decided on Wednesday a bill the free electricity, food stamps and housing subsidies for poor families provides. The institutions of the donors have sharply protested against the law. In Athens is, however, noted that the “law of humanity” had already been agreed by the previous government and is intended to benefit the poorest of the poor. The bill, which proposes a total of approximately 200 million euros was intended, in the first place again secure inter alia, families that are particularly hard hit by the crisis, minimal power.
Has Greece finally broken with the Troika ?
for almost a week negotiations with the representatives of the creditors institutions, the former Troika are initially rejected. The Greek government had “shown the door” the auditor of the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB), who wanted to make, especially a picture of the financial situation in Athens, it said in Brussels , In a conference call of the highest officials of euro zone finance ministers, the so-called “Euro Working Group”, the Greek representative had stated that Greece was not ready to give the ex-Troika insight into the finances, said a person familiar with the talks person.
In the joint decision made by the Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis agreement of the Euro Group of 20 February Greece had made numerous commitments. These include a “close cooperation” with the creditor representatives, the implementation of reforms and the renunciation of unilateral actions that threaten the budgetary targets. That is now apparently no longer apply. Defense Minister Panos Kammenos announced on Channel “ANT 1″, from now on, will present laws without consulting the creditors the government. “We have recovered our national sovereignty,” the right-wing populist Kammenos.
In any case, said the left-right government wants nothing more to do with ex-Troika. Instead of talking on the expert level, Greece now wants to negotiate on the EU heads of state and government district, said an insider. This is exactly what but rejected by the EU Commission. Instead of “Rhetoric” should be the next weeks will be used until the end of April in Athens, to work on the technical details of the implementation of the Euro Group Agreement of 20 February. Only then should the talks “to the political level” to be lifted, it said in the Commission circles on.
What role did the crisis meeting on the sidelines of the EU summit?
On Thursday evening was planned on the outskirts of the EU summit a meeting of a seven-round, which would deal with the situation in Greece. In addition Tsipras belong to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, the summit Minister Donald Tusk, the head of the European Central Bank (ECB), Mario Draghi, and Euro-group leader Jeroen Dijsselbloem. The meeting of the Greek prime minister linked above all hope for release of further financial aid and more liquidity from the European Central Bank.
Before the special meeting circulated different statements about the importance of Siebenerrunde. Thus, the EU Parliament leader Martin Schulz (SPD) was convinced that there would be a result at the meeting, as Athens had “actually the day before yesterday” fresh money needed. From the perspective of Schulz Tsipras but must first provide concrete proposals for the renewal of the country, such as the administrative reform.
On the other hand Summit boss tried Tusk concerns of the Euro Group to dispel that in the crisis meeting critical establish preconditions are met could. “I can assure you that this informal meeting will not be a decisive meeting,” said the former Polish prime minister.
What is the position Chancellor Angela Merkel?
In its policy statement the Chancellor dampened the Thursday in federal expectations for the crisis meeting with Tsipras on the edge of the EU summit and the upcoming visit of the head of the Athenian left alliance SYRIZA next Monday in Berlin. Merkel made clear that could replace “no small gatherings” an agreement between Athens on the one hand, and the representatives of the institutions of the donors and the euro finance ministers on the other side. “It remains a very difficult way to go,” Merkel said. The Chancellor made an impassioned appeal to the left-right government in Athens, to abide by the agreements of the aid program: “the only way it will go. By meeting arrangements and everybody will be agreements” The sentence could just as well Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) can be derived, which currently stands with his Greek counterpart Yanis Varoufakis in verbal clinch.
Are the characters so further on glacial between Berlin and Athens?
not necessarily. Merkel took the Greek crisis in the Bundestag namely also as an opportunity to promote cohesion in the European Union. She appealed to the members of parliament to continue to give their support to shape the “miraculous change” in Europe from a war to a peace-continent. The Chancellor chose probably quite aware of the high tone, as especially in the Union decreases the willingness to pay alimony Greece with new tools.
There was, however, also no coincidence that Merkel decided its policy statement with the phrase that Europeans “united to their happiness” are – the quote comes from that “Berlin Declaration” of 2007, by which time, had commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the EU Heads of State and Government. Merkel attacked on Thursday before the deputies so deeply into the pathos-box has a reason. The Greek crisis has the potential to cause a major foreign policy harm to the EU in particular – in the event that the “Grexit” scenario should actually occur
Merkel stressed that she might bring all their conversations. ” in the understanding that differences of opinion in common is “. In order to improve the atmosphere in relations between Athens and Berlin are also some concessions on the issue of reparations for Greek Nazi victims could help: The Minister of State at the Foreign Office, Michael Roth (SPD), was willing to spend more funds for the 2014 Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched to provide German-Greek Future Fund. To date, the fund has a million euros a year.
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