So what happened yesterday at the Eurogroup meeting that ended in breakdown of talks,frozen faces on both sides, and media titles like “Crash”, “Grexit” and horror scenarios of the kind? It’s difficult to get the correct information together if you’re not there, yet I give it a try based on …
Read More »
Bridge-Program? Tsipras – Dijsselbloem agree to work out “common ground for solution”
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijselbloem agreed on the sideline of the EU Leaders Summit in Brussels, that a team of Greek technocrats will cooperate with representatives of the EuroWorking Group until Monday to prepare the Eurogroup meeting of 16 February. According to newspaper To Vima, Tsipras …
Read More »
Varoufakis-Schaueble: “They agreed to disagree” but things not hopeless- Live blogging from Athens
The crucial meeting between Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis with his German counterpart Wolfgang Schaeuble started at ten minutes ago in Berlin. The meeting takes place in the shadow of European Central Bank decision Wednesday night to stop accepting Greek bonds as collateral for granting liguidity. The ECB decision prompted …
Read More »
Varoufakis after meeting with Draghi: “It was fruitful, we have excellent communication line”
“We had a fruitful meeting,” Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis told reporters after the meeting with European Central Bank head Mario Draghi. He added that “we have an excellent communication line, which gives me courage for the future.” “Greece put its message at negotiations table” he said further with reference …
Read More »
UPD Tsipras – Juncker hand in hand for Greek Debt on Solution Street
Friendly and warm atmosphere. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is holding a meeting with President of European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Wednesday morning. In a gesture of failed symbolism, veteran Jean-Claude took young PM Alexis by the hand and off they walked to the EC sanctuary. Hand in …
Read More »
Varoufakis to meet Draghi and Schaeuble, Feb 4-5/2015
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis will meet with European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi and and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. The Greek FinMin announced his upcoming appointments in Germany speaking to reporters while in Rome today, Athens News Agency reports. State NERIT TV reported …
Read More »
Varoufakis adamant in Paris; French FinMin Sapin did not freak out (lol)
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis met his French counterpart Michel Sapin in Paris. After the bilateral talks, the two men held a joint press conference. The Greek was adamant in his positions: he said that: a new debt deal was needed within months and reiterated that he would not negotiate …
Read More »
President Hollande invites PM Tsipras in Paris in early February
French President Francois Hollande invited new Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Paris. Hollande’s invitation has already be sent to Tsipras, the meeting is to take place before the next Council of Europe, scheduled for February 12th. “France is ready to discuss solutions to Greek debt,” French officials said, althoughHollande …
Read More »
Romanos’ father meets PM: “Day by day death possibility increases”
Giorgos Romanos, the father of hunger-striker Nikos Romanos held a meeting with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Justice Minister Charalambos Athanasiou on Monday morning. The meeting came up after a request by Romanos parents and did not bring any solution, despite the fact that the 21-year-old convict is on the …
Read More »
Athens: Greece’s Euro-partners will bless next bailout tranche
Greece’s lenders seem in general satisfied with the outcome of the multi-bill voting on Sunday night. The impact of voting to Greeks’ EU partners was immense. For example, one of the fierce critics of debt-ridden Greece, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble immediately declared, he felt …relaxed. German Finance Minister Wolfgang …
Read More »
Greek coalition gov’t partners to meet again Thursday on ERT – Live blogging from Athens June 19/2013
The crucial meeting of prime minister Antonis Samaras with his coalition government partners Evangelos Venizelos (PASOK) and Fotis Kouvelis (Democratic Left) started at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The three leaders seek a compromise on re-opening of public broadcasting ERT shutdown by Samaras’ order per Legislation Act on June 11th 2013. …
Read More »
Dirty political games with ERT and justice
Another crucial meeting between prime minister Antonis Samaras and his coalition government partners Evangelos Venizelos (PASOK) and Fotis Kouvelis (Democratic Left) is scheduled for 6 p.pm. on Wednesday. Greece’s coalition government is on the verge of breaking apart over Samaras’ order to shut down public broadcaster ERT and his reluctant …
Read More »
Greek Presidency dismisses claims Papoulias would meet Otto Rehhagel
Sources at the office of Greek President, Karolos Papoulias, dismissed media claims that an appointment with former football coach Otto Rehhagel was due in March. Mega TV reported that the presidency stressed that importance of Greek-German relations but that such meetings rather targeted to create impressions than real positive climate. …
Read More »
Disagreement over Property Tax & Civil Servants postpones Samaras – Troika meeting
Officially the meeting between Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and the Troika was postponed, because the Troika’s technical teams had not concluded their work. Unofficially, the meeting scheduled for Tuesday afternoon was postponed for Wednesday due to disagreement. Greek media report that it is mainly the emergency property tax and the …
Read More »
Multinationals blackmail Greece: Part-timers on €250-300 monthly salary
Turning Greek labour forces into “Chinese workers” without rights and an as-minimum-as-possible wage seems to be the dream not only of the International Monetary Fund, the Troika and Germany but also that of multinational companies. Allegedly in the name of holy competitiveness, multinationals want to trade “peanuts” for “salary” in order to invest …
Read More »
Greek, Turkish PMs talk about Halki & the Mosque in Qatar. Samaras to visit Ankara, Mar 5/2013
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras had an informal meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Doha, Qatar. During the meeting that lasted 45 minutes, the two leaders talked about issues of mutual interest between the two neighboring countries like the Theological School of Halki in Istanbul and the opening of …
Read More »
Alexis Tsipras to meet German FinMin Schaeuble in Berlin, Jan 14/2013
Leader of left-wing SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras, will meet with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in Berlin on January 14th 2013. The meeting follows a relevant request by Greece’s main opposition party, apparently mediated to the Finance Ministry through German political party Die Linke. Several Greek media reported that before giving an …
Read More »
Eurogroup Meeting on Greece: The Fat Ladies Need to Sing
Eurozone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund will meet today, Monday to seek a solution to Greek bailout tranche of at least 31.5 billion euro. However substantial disagreement between IMF and Berlin has hindered so far the disbursement of the tranche. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and IMF-Head Christine Lagarde …
Read More »
Juncker: Eurogroup meeting on Nov 8, Decisions on Greece on Nov 12/2012
Jean Claude Juncker has called an extra ordinary Eurogroup meeting for November 8th 2012 and claimed that final decisions on Greece will be met on November 12. He considers that no decisions on Greece will be met during the Eurogroup on upcoming Wednesday. At the same time, he called to …
Read More »
German FinMin Tells Greek Counterpart, Greece Must Fully Implement Reforms
More was not expected, no decision either. German Finance Minister told his Greek counterpart Yiannis Stournaras the usual, good old admonition: Greece must stick to reforms implementations. The two men meet in Berlin. “German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told his Greek counterpart Yannis Stournaras at meeting on Tuesday that …
Read More »