Default crisis: Europe pressures Greece over debt talks
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RIGA:
European ministers heaped pressure on Greece to speed up negotiations to unblock critically needed bailout funds and avert a dangerous default, showing frustration after months of bogged down talks. The eurozone’s 19 finance ministers ended a meeting in Riga without a breakthrough to unlock €7.2 billion ($7.8 billion) in bailout cash, with the threat of a messy exit by Greece from the euro still hanging in the balance. “It was a very critical discussion,” said Eurogroup Chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem after the talks ended, with eurozone ministers angry at the lack of progress as a hefty payment of €200 million to the IMF stands due on May 1. “There remain big, big problems to be solved for Greece,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2015.
European ministers heaped pressure on Greece to speed up negotiations to unblock critically needed bailout funds and avert a dangerous default, showing frustration after months of bogged down talks. The eurozone’s 19 finance ministers ended a meeting in Riga without a breakthrough to unlock €7.2 billion ($7.8 billion) in bailout cash, with the threat of a messy exit by Greece from the euro still hanging in the balance. “It was a very critical discussion,” said Eurogroup Chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem after the talks ended, with eurozone ministers angry at the lack of progress as a hefty payment of €200 million to the IMF stands due on May 1. “There remain big, big problems to be solved for Greece,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2015.