German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble again turned his attention to the Greek program on Friday, less than 24 hours after an agreement to conclude the second review was concluded at the Eurogroup, referring to disagreement between creditors over the debt issue.
The powerful German minister, who has emerged as the chief architect of Berlin’s policy vis-a-vis the Greek bailout, maintained that divergences remain between his government, the EU and the IMF, speaking after the end of the Ecofin council in Luxembourg.
Moreover, he again expressed a “hope” that the current bailout, the third in a row, will be the last for Greece, forecasting that less money may actually be needed than originally budgeted, i.e. less than 86 billion euros.
“Greece has agreed to implement a series of measures,” was the now almost standard Schaeuble quip, following quickly by a laudatory reference to Athens’ fulfillment of an “ambitious reform program” to date.
