A meeting between Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, Economy Minister George Stathakis and Alternate Finance Minister Giorgos Chouliarakis and the representatives of the institutions concluded in Athens on Wednesday evening.
Finance ministry’s officials disclosed that the meeting discussed the process through which the negotiations will reach a draft agreement in the next few days. Sources from the heads of the institutions’ mission said efforts are focused on recording the progress made in a document which could take the form of an announcement, in which the two sides will be noting the significant progress made or the achievement of an interim agreement.
According to greekreporter.com, Greece’s Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos is rushing to complete the bailout program review by Sunday in order to reach an agreement he can present at the April 22 Eurogroup.
The negotiations are ongoing and there are still several issues pending, officials have begun drafting the final agreement all sides hope to arrive at.
Package of measures and reforms
According to Tsakalotos there will be two texts to be signed, each containing a package of measures and reforms. One text will be the continuation of the agreement signed with the European Stability Mechanism.
The second text is to be signed with the International Monetary Fund and will include a second package of measures and reforms to be implemented before the second bailout program review.
“There are pending issues that need further technical negotiation and others that need further political negotiation,” the finance minister told the press.
The issues of taxation, security fund reforms, bad loans, the fiscal gap and the privatization fund remain pending. However, according to Tsakalotos, there are only details left.
If there is an agreement, it will be submitted to euro zone finance ministers who are due to meet on April 22. Greece will then be expected to pass the agreed measures through Parliament. Once this is done, euro zone member states must also get parliamentary approval so that the program disbursements can begin, as can the discussion about debt relief between Greece’s lenders.
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