Emmanuel Macron reiterated this Monday to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, during a telephone interview, wanting to “reach agreement soon to alleviate over time the burden of Greek debt,” said the entourage of the Head of State
Finance ministers of the Eurozone meet today in Brussels to reach an agreement on a reduction of the Greek debt and the release of new loans, which Athens in return passed new austerity measures.
“This is the roadmap of Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire”, which participates this Monday in the Eurogroup (meeting of 19 ministers of the euro area) in Brussels, said the Elysee. Such an agreement, expected for months, would remove the specter of a resurgent “Grexit” and therefore would be a relief for the euro area.
A campaign promise
Emmanuel Macron had said during the election campaign that he would fight for a Greek debt restructuring. “Why ? Because the system is now untenable. There must be locks, safety, find a collective agreement, but we know somehow it will all come to that”, he told Mediapart.
“I think we’re very close in fact a comprehensive agreement” on this issue, for his hand said Sunday on France Inter the European Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Pierre Moscovici.
Besides the 19 finance ministers meeting on Monday includes the International Monetary Fund (IMF), involved in the third aid package of 86 billion euros granted in Athens in July 2015.
This plan discussed for months, with creditors failing to agree on the country’s ability to deal with its public debt (179% of GDP).
Subject to strict austerity since the outbreak of the debt crisis in 2010, Greece is struggling to emerge from recession.
