The many forthcoming elections are making matters slightly more complicated for the second monitoring mission of the Greek bailout plan, the Greek finance minister, Euclid Tsakalotos, explained on Thursday 12 January, after a meeting in Brussels with the Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Pierre Moscovici.
There are "so many players" we have to discuss things with, "there are always issues to be discussed and agreements to be made. At this moment, I think that there is a positive moment, because all parties are looking for a solution and not many parties are looking to create a problem", the minister said, in a thinly-veiled reference to the IMF.
The Washington-based financial institution does not agree with the country's medium-term budgetary forecasts and is calling for more savings at the outset. The earlier the second monitoring mission of the third Greek bailout plan concludes, the better, Tsakalotos and Moscovici said (see EUROPE 11682).
According to Moscovici, the questions still open concern in particular the reform of the energy market and the collective agreements. Neither figure would be drawn on a timetable for the conclusion of this monitoring mission. "Where there's a will, there's a way", Moscovici said. (Original version in French by Élodie Lamer)