Developments regarding the stalled Greek bailout program were accelerating in Brussels on Friday, with Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem telling Bloomberg that no agreement the same day will mean “… we will go further in the next weeks.”
The latest statement by a top European official comes hours after reports held that creditors are preparing a last-ditch proposal to Greece’s leftists to conclude the now delayed second review of the Greek program on or before a Feb. 20 Eurogroup meeting.
Other highlights from Dijsselbloem’s statements on Friday include:
— “The first big payments are planned for this summer, so I do not feel a deadline, and no crisis atmosphere”
— “We will talk about the issues at the table, reforms of the labor market, the pension system, tax system, budget. How big should the surplus be? And when can that be on a lower level? What will happen to the debt?”
— “There will be various proposals and then we will see if we can find a mutual agreement”
— “Greece must reach a budget surplus of 3.5% and there are discussions about what is needed extra. Some say that the gap is still very big and they want a big reserve package. And others say that is not necessary. That is typically the conversation we will have this afternoon.”
