No full German parliament approval needed for Greek aid, says Merkel ally
Germany's Bundestag lower house of parliament will not need to hold a full debate on paying out the next tranche of aid to Greece, the leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative group in parliament said on Tuesday.
Three months before an election, some lawmakers from the Social Democrats (SPD), the junior partner in Merkel's coalition, had wanted a full parliamentary debate on the 8.5 billion euro loan to Greece. Internal opposition could make a debate embarrassing for Merkel.
However, approval from the whole assembly is not needed, said Michael Grosse-Broemer, head of the conservatives in parliament, adding that the parliamentary budget committee could deal with it.
That committee meets on Wednesday and is widely expected to sign off on the loans agreed by eurozone governments last week without referring it to a full session of the Bundestag.
Some of Merkel's own conservatives have in the past opposed aid to Greece. Sixty-three of the 309 members of her conservative parliamentary group voted against the third bailout for Greece in August 2015. There were three abstentions.
Conservative Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has said a full debate on the credit lifeline in the lower house could lead to market uncertainty.
[Reuters]
