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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 11066
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS / (ae) greece

Greece talks debt reduction now that aid has been approved

Brussels, 24/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - The Euro Working Group at the EU Council of Ministers met on Thursday 24 April to deal with the Greek question and rubberstamp the disbursement of aid of €6.3 billion from the European Financial Stability Fund, which was subject to completion of a number of milestones. A source at the Greek finance ministry and two troika sources said on Thursday morning that the aid disbursement would be endorsed without any obstacles. The Greek ministry source said that Greece is prepared to get the eurozone on Thursday to consider its promises to reduce the country's debt now that the primary budget surplus for 2013 has been officially confirmed by Eurostat (see EUROPE 11065). At the end of 2012, eurozone finance ministers promised to make a further reduction in the Greek debt burden when it achieved a primary budget surplus. A source at the finance ministry said they wouldn't be demanding an immediate solution, as it was more a matter of getting the negotiation ball rolling. On Wednesday, the European Commission predicted that talks would start later in the year, at some point during the summer, and will probably last into the autumn. (EL)

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