Following a 'mini-summit' Thursday evening between the Greek PM Tsipras, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and leaders of the EU institutions, Greece has agreed to produce a new reform plan within the next few days in order to secure additional bailout funds to avoid bankruptcy. The talks took place on the sidelines of the wider EU summit of European Union Heads of State in Brussels, where the official agenda was focussed on the Ukraine and Libya.
Merkel described the talks as 'constructive', and Tsipras was reported to have been 'optimistic' following the meeting. This latest round of talks came after a tense week in which SYRIZA brought to a parliamentary vote a package of legislation designed to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Greece. The bill provides free electricity and food stamps to low income households worst hit by the crisis, and was voted in with cross party support. On the eve of the vote, the European Commission addressed a letter to the Greek government, urging them not to act unilaterally, implying that the reforms would be inconsistent with the Eurogroup agreement of 20 February. The Greek government reacted with anger, stating that they would not take orders from their creditors and that they would assert Greece’s economic and political sovereignty. Tsipras noted that, “this is the first bill in five years that doesn’t take something from the people but will offer them something.” EU economic affairs commissioner, Pierre Moscovici, denied it had been a veto of the bill.