Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem on Monday briefed the Dutch Parliament, in his capacity as the finance minister in the Netherlands, that Greece must exceed the primary budget surplus goals of 3.5-percent of GDP in order for countervailing measures to be implemented.
The statement, contained in a document forwarded to the Parliament by Dijsselbloem, ostensibly clashes with the Greek government’s insistence that whatever austerity measures it takes to ensure that fiscal targets are met (after 2018) would be simultaneously taken with countervailing measures — essentially an off-set formula.
Athens has demanded that measures and “counter-measures” be activated as of Jan. 1, 2019, if they are deemed as necessary, and based on the fiscal performance of the preceding year, 2018.
