No 'concrete proposal' from Greece: Malta PM

(BRUSSELS) - Greece did not come up with a "concrete proposal" at a meeting of eurozone finance ministers on Tuesday, according to the Maltese premier, despite European pressure on Athens for a new debt plan.

"The absence of a concrete proposal by Greece government doesn't help this evening's eurozone leaders' meeting," Joseph Muscat wrote on Twitter, ahead of an emergency summit in Brussels later Tuesday.

The leaders of the 19 countries in the euro area, including Greek leftist Alexis Tsipras, are due to meet at 1630 GMT, two days after Greece rejected in a shock referendum the terms its creditors offered for a new EU-IMF bailout.

Ahead of the summit, Greece's new Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos made his first appearance at a Eurogroup meeting with his counterparts.

A European source close to the talks said Greek authorities had come to the Eurogroup without a "letter" or written document.

But reform proposals were still discussed at the meeting, according to a European diplomatic source.

"They are in the process of finalising the drafting of these proposals" that are "quite similar" to those made last week by creditors, the source told AFP.

The radical Tsipras is under strong pressure from European leaders -- angered by the referendum result -- to submit new bailout proposals as fears grow for the Greek economy, with banks closed until at least Thursday.

On Wednesday Tsipras will also address the European Parliament in Strasbourg, a government source said.

EU Commissioner for the euro Valdis Dombrovskis said ahead of Tuesday's meetings that a so-called "Grexit" from the single currency "cannot be excluded".