Juncker to visit Athens in first member state visit

(BRUSSELS) - Jean-Claude Juncker, president elect of the European Commission, will visit Greece on Monday as the twice-bailed out country looks to Brussels to ease austerity policies adopted to tackle the debt crisis.

Juncker will meet Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on his first visit to a member state since being named to head the Commission, the European Union's executive arm.

"My priority... is jobs, growth and investment and I am pleased to be going to Greece to discuss these priorities," Juncker said in a statement on Friday.

"I want to send a message of hope and optimism by recognising the efforts of the Greek people and the Greek government in reforming their country," he added.

As head of the 18-nation eurozone group of finance ministers, Juncker was a crucial figure in negotiating two tough rescues for Greece worth 240 billion euros ($320 billion) plus a debt writedown worth more than 100 billion euros.

In return, Greece had to adopt a hugely unpopular austerity programme, with the government slashing spending and hiking taxes as the economy sank in a deep six-year recession and unemployment soared.

Greece is expected to return to growth this year but remains burdened with debt equal to more than 170 percent of its annual economic output, a level which many analysts believe cannot be sustained.