Bloomberg: Greece Seeks $59.2 Billion Bailout in Effort to Keep Euro

The government of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras sought a three-year bailout loan of at least 53.5 billion euros ($59.2 billion), in a last-ditch effort to keep the country in the euro.

   In exchange, it offered a package of reforms and spending cuts, including pension savings and tax increases, similar to the one presented by creditors last month.

   The proposal was submitted to European institutions late Thursday and will be presented to the Greek Parliament Friday. It is set to be discussed at a summit of European Union leaders Sunday to determine whether Greece gets a new bailout, or be forced to leave the single currency.

   Greece offered measures that almost mirrored a proposal from creditors on June 26, which was rejected by voters in a July 5 referendum. In return, it asked for its long-term debt to be made more manageable to allow it to rebound from a crisis that has erased a quarter of its economy. It is unclear if the proposal is enough to clinch a deal with creditors amid signs of economic deterioration since banks were closed and capital controls imposed 12 days ago.

   “The Greeks appear to have made significant concessions, apparently accepting much of the most recent creditor proposal,” Chris Scicluna, head of economic research at Daiwa Capital Markets in London, wrote in a note. “It remains to be seen whether creditors will want even more austerity.”

Πηγή: bloomberg.com