APRIL FOOLS Creditors consider €10 entrance fee to help Greece achieve annual primary surplus

Greece’s creditors plan to charge a so-called “entrance fee” of ten euro. The creditors are reportedly considering to charge a 10-euro entrance fee to anyone visiting the country to raise revenues. Creditors’ aim is to help the debt-ridden country to achieve the 3.5% primary surplus for the next years. The thoughts come amid tough negotiations between the debt-ridden country and the European lenders after the stalemate on Friday.

“We finally have to do something to help Greece,” an EU official told media speaking under the usual conditions of anonymity. “In the last two years Greece proved it is a reliable partner and belongs to core eurozone,” the EU official added. “The Greek people can take no more on direct and indirect tax burden,” the official underlined.

The official did not confirm whether the 10-euro fee will also be imposed on Greek nationals working abroad when visiting the country. Information coming from Brussels claim, however, that there are also thoughts to impose the fee also to Greeks living in Greece in the second phase of the plan materialization, that is after the current program ends in 2018. There is consideration to raise the fee for Greeks above 5 years old. Another scenario claims that that visitors from non-EU countries will have to pay double.

So far there has been no official reaction from the Greek government.

Sources close to the government said they were surprised about the unexpected creditors’ U-turn. “This change in attitude confirms that we finally have managed to find some strong allies within the European Union ” the source said. At the same time, the source praised the Greek efforts to comply with creditors demands.

Asked to comment on the plan, Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem said “Progress has been ,made, but work is still needed.”

Reporters were unable to get any comment from the German Finance Ministry by Saturday noon.

The International Monetary Fund refrained from commenting on the plan. A spokesman merely repeated the old IMF mantra “primary surplus of 3.5% is not achievable” and “Greece’s debt is not sustainable.”

PS this can happen in another EU, in another Eurogroup, in another country.