Germany has
given its most explicit warning that Greece could leave the eurozone as
officials were reported to have failed to hammer out a last-minute deal in
Brussels.
On top of that, the official said that, for
the EU’s executive, “The Greek proposals remain incomplete.” The official
refused to be more precise.
“The shadow of a Greek exit from the
eurozone is becoming increasingly perceptible,” Germany’s Economy Minister and
Vice-Chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, wrote in Bild newspaper. “Greece’s game
theorists are gambling the future of their country and Europe’s too.”
Greece’s Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras,
sent a delegation to Brussels for talks with European President Jean-Claude
Juncker’s office. But hopes for a breakthrough on measures demanded by Greece’s
lenders faded, with both sides taking increasingly hardline positions,
according to EU officials.
Greece is demanding more time to pay and the
cancellation of some of its debt, while its lenders want to see pension
reforms, higher VAT and a promise to target a primary budget surplus.
Officials from the major lenders, the
International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank, had been standing by to
join the talks if Mr Juncker’s office made progress. Greece’s Finance Minister,
Yanis Varoufakis said that the liquidity squeeze was asphyxiating the economy.
He said: “When you go into negotiation, you
compromise. We’ve compromised a lot. The target … is to get out of the crisis.
For that you need Greece to go back to markets, so a restructuring of debt is
needed.”
Greece must repay €1.6bn ($1.8bn) to the IMF
this month or default, putting its future in the euro in grave danger. It must
also repay €6.7bn when Greek bonds held by the European Central Bank fall due
in July and August.
(Πηγή:
independent.co.uk)
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