Bailout auditors back in Athens for fourth review

Representatives of Greece's international creditors were back in Athens on Monday for the fourth review of the country's third bailout and scheduled to resume talks with government officials focusing on the deregulation of the energy market.

The talks, including Declan Costello of the European Commission, Peter Dolman of the International Monetary Fund and Nikola Tziamaroli of the European Structural Mechanism, were to begin at 3 p.m.

Those talks are to be followed at 4 p.m. with a review of the program's implementation and then an analysis of a lagging privatizations drive at 5 p.m.

The technocrats are expected to remain in Athens for three or four days and to return to the Greek capital after Easter for a final round of talks.

The fourth review is to focus on 88 so-called prior actions including further fiscal tightening, a revision of disability benefits and the acceleration of state selloffs.

Talks are also expected to focus on introducing further flexibility to the Greek labor market.