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EU 'not satisfied' with Greek debt talks

16 April 2015, 16:01 CET
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(BRUSSELS) - The EU said Thursday it was "not satisfied" with progress in talks with Greece on its massive debt bailout programme and the reforms it must adopt in exchange for urgently needed funds.

"We continue to work with other institutions and the Greek authorities. Talks are ongoing. However at this stage, we are not satisfied with the level of progress," European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said.

Eurozone finance ministers meet informally April 24 in the Latvian capital Riga hoping to agree on a package of reforms with the hard-left government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who is bitterly opposed to the bailout's stiff austerity measures.

A deal between Greece and its 18 eurozone peers in late February fixed April as the deadline for an interim accord, and end-June for a final deal.

Progress so far is proving elusive as Athens runs out money to pay its creditors, raising the risk of a default and a potentially chaotic exit from the single currency bloc.

"Work needs to intensify before the informal Eurogroup meeting," Schinas told a press conference.

Riga was meant "to be able to take stock of the situation (but) we have to have more progress than we actually have," he added, without giving details.

A European Union source said that "nothing has happened over the past few days. Absolutely nothing."

Elected in January in a backlash against the bailout programme, Tsipras wants the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank to ease the austerity measures demanded in return for funding so as to put the focus on growth, not public finances.

The February accord allowed Athens to change the reform agenda, but only on the basis that any changes would be neutral overall in fiscal terms.

The three creditors will only free up the last bailout funding tranche of 7.2 billion euros when there is an agreement with Greece on the new reforms.

bmm/bc

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