By N. Bellos
[email protected]
The chances of Eurogroup finance ministers signing off over next week on the disbursement of a 970-million-euro tranche to Greece appears fleeting, with a Eurozone official in Brussels on Thursday saying not enough progress has been made to date to allow such a decision.
The Eurogroup is tasked with releasing the tranche, accumulated from profits generated by Greek bonds held by Eurozone member-states’ central banks and the European Central Bank (ECB) itself. Returning profits to Athens was part of debt relief measures approved by European creditors in 2017.
The EZ official said it was unlikely that such an approval will be taken on Monday, when a Eurogroup session will convene. The unnamed official pointed directly to the lack of a final agreement over a new framework to protect primary residences in Greece from creditors.
The next Eurogroup meeting is scheduled for April 5 in Bucharest. Although an unofficial session, the same official said EZ finance ministers are not prevented from authorizing the EWG to approve of the tranche.
