Debt relief and the possibility of a third bailout program for Greece will be discussed after the summer, said Eurogroup΄s President Jeroen Dijsselbloem upon arriving at the eurozone΄s finance ministers΄ meeting in Brussels.
By Christina Vasilaki, TPP correspondent in Brussels
According to Mr Dijsselbloem, decisions can be taken as late as September. “If the current program and all the conditions in the current program are fulfilled, then further disbursements can take place before May that will finance Greece right into August, he said. Asked whether the Eurogroup has time to “act” in favor of the greek government in the wake of Eurostat's annoucement regarding the primary surplus and before the European elections, he replied “there is absolutely no reason to rush to a new program or new decisions”.
Specifically on debt relief he said “The debt has to be reduced. The question is who does it and how to do it. And that is exactly what we ll talk about after the summer “.
Along the same lines, during his entrance, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said: “We will decide on Greece's next tranche before May, as soon as the prerequisites are met. After the pgogram has ended, there will be a new discussion about whether further funding is necessary.”
Regarding the ongoing evaluation by the troika, an EU Commission representative told the Athens News Agency earlier that “it is unlikely that they [the troika's representatives] will return this week.”