No additional package of measures will be asked, according to European officials
Following Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ telephone conversation with European Council President Donald Tusk and his warning that if a Eurogroup meeting is not held, e will request a Eurozone summit meeting, there was a spurt of activity in Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin, according to exclusive information of ANA-MPA on Thursday (28/04/2016).
Tusk started a marathon of consultations with Germany reacting negatively to a possible Council meeting and France stating it will support Tsipras’ proposal if there’s no positive development soon with a Eurogroup.
European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, reassured Tsipras in a phone conversation on Wednesday evening saying he will take initiatives so that a Eurogroup meeting is held soon and that it includes talks on debt relief.
Considering debt talks need time to prepare, Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem is considering calling for a meeting on May 9 or 10, to allow for consultations, according to ANA-MPA information. Dijsselbloem may also invite the French, German and Greek finance ministers, as well as the heads of the three institutions, Mario Draghi (ECB), Jean-Claude Juncker (EC) and Christine Lagarde (IMF), so as to achieve an agreement ahead of the Eurogroup.
The Greek premier’s request for a European Council meeting remains at the table as a safety measure in case the Eurogroup meeting doesn’t produce any results. In this case, a summit will be called for May 14 or 15.
