Greece closer to getting disbursement of new loans, says Eurogroup’s Centeno
Greece is close to receiving a new disbursement of loans from its eurozone creditors after having completed most of the required reforms, Reuters reported the head of the bloc’s finance ministers as saying on Monday.
“Of all the 110 prior actions, only two are still outstanding which are outside the control of the government. I am confident they can be cleared soon,” Eurogroup chief Mario Centeno told a news conference after a regular meeting of eurozone finance ministers, according to Reuters.
The announcement came several hours after reports suggested that Greece would have to wait until next month for the fresh cash injection, as Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos entered the meeting with 108 of the agreed prior actions completed.
Greece’s Finance Ministry had earlier brushed off reports that the Eurogroup would not sign off on the disbursement of the next tranche of 5.7 billion euros until the two prior actions – related to electronic foreclosures and the privatization of the plot of Athens’s former airport at Elliniko – are completed, saying that the two reforms are of a “technical nature.”
Meanwhile, Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos on Monday reacted angrily to comments by European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, who said that Greek notaries will have to start signing off on electronic property auctions as delays in implementing the scheme are holding up the completion of the current bailout review.
Draghi's comments prompted a vehement response from Tsakalotos, who demanded a more “detailed” response from the ECB chief, while pointing to previous instances where Greece has felt its lenders were overstepping their jurisdiction. [Reuters/Kathimerini]
