15/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - Aid for Greece for 2015 and 2016. The European Commission has hailed the European Parliament and Council's official signature of the measures presented in July (see EUROPE 11391) to help Greece. The measures provide for 100% co-financing over the 2007-2013 period, immediate disbursement of 5% of the budget retained before the closure of 2017, and pre-financing increased by 7% for 2015 and 2016 as part of the cohesion policy. Greece is expected to receive €800 million next week, and overall almost €1.4 billion will be released in 2015, followed by €1 billion in 2016. In addition, the measures adopted will enable Greece to save around €2 billion. European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu met Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras last week to discuss implementation of the new arrangements. (PH)