German Parliament Approves EFSF Expansion

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Economy

German parliamentarians on Thursday approved the planned expansion of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) with 523 voting in favor, 85 against and three abstentions. The bill’s passage is a vital hurdle in euro-zone efforts to increase the fund’s lending capacity from its current €250 billion ($338 billion) to €440 billion. Germany’s share of guarantees for the fund will rise from €120 billion to €211 billion, though several other euro-zone parliaments must still vote on the expansion.

 The result also means that Chancellor Angela Merkel can breathe a sigh of relief. There had been concern that renegades within her center-right coalition could mean that Merkel would be forced to rely on opposition votes to pass the legislation. Had that come to pass, her power would have been severely curtailed . ( Read the whole article in Spiegel online)

The EFSF will have the possibility to buy bonds from debt-ridden countries, to recapitalize the banking sector and intervene in advance according to the decisions of July 21st. The decision of German parliament is positive for Greece provided Greeks do more than verbal or written promises…