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Eurozone clears way for €4bn in aid for Greece

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Published 26 July 2013

Representatives of eurozone finance ministers signed off on the payment of the next batch of aid for Greece on Friday (26 July) and the money will be disbursed on the approval of member states on Monday, eurozone officials said.

 

"Approval is now given, national procedures will be finalised by Monday noon," one senior eurozone official said, referring to the transfer of €4 billion from the currency zone.

Greece adopted on Thursday the last piece of legislation international lenders required to unlock a total of €5.8 billion in aid from the euro area, its national central banks and the International Monetary Fund.

Deputies of eurozone finance ministers approved the payment at a conference call Friday morning.

Germany this week postponed signing off on the disbursement until next Monday to ensure all conditions are met, but officials said German approval was now a mere formality.

The latest tranche includes €2.5 billion from the eurozone's EFSF rescue fund, €1.5 billion of bond profit returns from eurozone central banks and another €1.8 billion from the IMF.

Subject to implementation of further reforms, Athens stands to receive another €1 billion in October.

Thursday's vote resolved the latest negotiation round between Athens and its lenders, which started in early June and stretched to the limit the cohesion of its shaky government.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's abrupt decision in June to shut down state broadcaster ERT to meet public sector dismissal targets caused the departure of a coalition ally, leaving him with a parliamentary majority of five seats.

The country's reform record has been patchy ever since its EU/IMF bailout started in mid-2010, leading to frequent delays in the disbursement of rescue funds.

The troika of international lenders will return in Athens in the autumn to find out whether the government needs to find further savings to meet its 2015-2016 budget targets.

Setting the stage for a potential clash with lenders, Samaras and his only remaining coalition partner, Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos, have ruled out any further austerity measures.

Opposition to the bailout has intensified as the country goes through its sixth year of recession and unemployment hovers at a record rate of 27%.

Bailout money for Athens runs out at the end of 2014 and the country is expected to need further relief to make its debt sustainable - even though it has already received about 90% of the €240 billion earmarked to protect it from a chaotic default and possible exit from the eurozone.

Next steps: 
  • 29 July: Eurozone countries expected to approve the latest aid tranche for Greece
EurActiv.com with Reuters

COMMENTS

  • Instead of greece doing the smart thing by getting as far away as they can from the euro, no they get led down the garden path again by a bunch of euroextremists who will stop at nothing to save thier rotten currency.
    To bad really, 30,000 gov employees fired or at least thats what the eurogroup or trioka want, more people under bridges/poverty and a happy eu.
    Man this is one sick organization this monster called brussels/eu, power brokers running the show , and they tell you its all good.
    Theres all kinds of extremism and brussels/eu is no exception.

    By :
    klassen
    - Posted on :
    27/07/2013
  • Signal the sell off of more Greek assets. The Greek culture will only be available as a history lesson unless the Brussels "elite" decide it would be better to write it all out and pretend Greece has always been a satellite state of the EUSSR.

    By :
    david Bennett
    - Posted on :
    29/07/2013
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Jeroen Dijsselbloem, president of the Eurogroup Photo: Council of the EU
Background: 

Greece's international lenders agreed in November on a package of measures to reduce Greek debt by €40 billion, cutting it to 124% of gross domestic product by 2020.

Greece will receive up to €43.7 billion in stages as it fulfills the conditions imposed by the troika of international creditors - the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

>> Read: Eurozone clinches Greek debt deal

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