Eurogroup ministers meet as Greece's future hangs in the balance
- 9 years ago
Eurozone finance minister meet in Luxembourg with the agenda dominated by the Greek financial crisis.
But with a last ditch attempt by Austrian mediation to end the standoff between Athens and its international lenders resulting in failure, even Greece’s Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis is pesimistic about the outcome.
When asked if he thought a deal could emerge from the Luxembourg gathering , his answer was unequivocal
“I do not believe so. Eurogroup meetings are not designed to stage fresh conversations that have not been prepared in advance. I do not believe this preparation has taken place and also it’s my considered opinion that now the agreement has to be reached at a level of political leaders, heads of state, prime ministers, chancellors,” said Varoufakis.
But with Greece refusing to accept austerity cuts in return for bailout funds, patience among its eurozone partners is at breaking point as Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem explained:
:
“It’s up to the Gr
But with a last ditch attempt by Austrian mediation to end the standoff between Athens and its international lenders resulting in failure, even Greece’s Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis is pesimistic about the outcome.
When asked if he thought a deal could emerge from the Luxembourg gathering , his answer was unequivocal
“I do not believe so. Eurogroup meetings are not designed to stage fresh conversations that have not been prepared in advance. I do not believe this preparation has taken place and also it’s my considered opinion that now the agreement has to be reached at a level of political leaders, heads of state, prime ministers, chancellors,” said Varoufakis.
But with Greece refusing to accept austerity cuts in return for bailout funds, patience among its eurozone partners is at breaking point as Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem explained:
:
“It’s up to the Gr