Aid package for Greece – The Union coy until the last minute – Frankfurter Rundschau

August 16, 2015

A “with the crowd” it is not for Merkel and Gabriel in the Bundestag. Photo: Wolfgang Kumm / dpa

The result of the vote in the Bundestag on the aid package for Greece on Wednesday is considered safe. The amount recognized for the morning plenary meeting could be extremely tricky for Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Union anyway.

In fact, the event is only conditionally exciting. If the Bundestag this Wednesday comes together to vote on the third aid package for Greece, the result is already clear: There will be a large majority in favor of the up to 86 billion euro program. At Germany will be releasing the first funds from which must use a credit repayment to the European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday Athens, not fail.

The liability recognized for the morning plenary meeting could be extremely tricky for Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Union anyway. A previously unknown number of their deputies will vote against namely the position of the Prime Minister and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble with No. Although the dissidents are currently holding back with demonstrative opinions. But the discontent is great, especially parliamentary leader Volker Kauder had threatened the dissidents to the withdrawal from key committees

.

deviants the deviation

Outwardly Union representatives attempted weekend demonstratively to downplay the conflict. “Show The Brussels results that our discussions were important and Greece now has to perform originally refused reforms,” ​​said the parliamentary secretary, Michael Grosse-Brömer (CDU), the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”: “We have interfered, and that has . had effect “Earlier, Finance Minister Schäuble emphasized already been positive:” After arduous negotiations really have been in Greece now understood that the land around real and radical reforms not be ignored “, he gave the” Bild am Sonntag “on record. The euro countries would ensure that the agreed reforms “are now being implemented point by point.”

However, the Union is in a quandary. Faction leader Kauder had always said that for his group was a central condition for approval that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should be involved in the rescue operation. Unlike the previous aid packages, the IMF has now but a participation not firmly pledged. While Schäuble is optimistic that we can get the funds after reviewing the program implementation by Greece in October on board. IMF President Christine Lagarde made it clear that it considers a further debt relief for Greece is necessary.

debt relief the Union Categorically rejects. In this respect is worth noting that the Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Jens Spahn (CDU), the weekend brought a possible compromise line this week: “We will have to talk about debt relief,” he told the “Welt am Sonntag”. What matters is that there is no real haircut

. Kauder and Merkel anxious

Whether the skeptics in the Unions fraction with this semantic distinction must be content to show up. At the last vote in Greece in mid-July 60 deputies of the CDU and CSU have voted ‘no’. This was understood as a setback for Merkel. If the number still rising now, this would be very unpleasant for the Chancellor. Above all, would then probably the authority of Kauder serious damage take.

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The SPD had the aid for Greece agreed almost closed already last time. Parliamentary leader Thomas Oppermann praised by no means uncontroversial among comrades of Finance in the “Welt am Sonntag” explicitly: “Wolfgang Schaeuble has faced the Greeks uncompromising with the economic reality. He has found there no friends. The insulting criticism of him is unbearable. “The Left Party is expected to vote on Wednesday with No. The Greens were last split: The majority of the group had abstained from the vote in July, the rest agreed.