The president of the Eurogroup Jeroen Dijsselbloem commented at an event in Turlurg on Monday that “the Greek government has been very serious, working very hard the last couple of days” and repeated his claim at the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
The Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee was scheduled to have a debate with Mr. Dijsselbloem regarding the list of reform measures which the Greek government tabled on Monday. According to the Dutch Finance Minister, the new agreement must be complete by the end of April, adding that funds will be paid out to Greece only after the rescue program review has concluded.
He further explained that the four-month extension will allow for an evaluation of the relationship between Europe and Greece, with Mr. Dijsselbloem stressing that the first step is to restore trust between both sides. When asked how he evaluates the Greek government’s list of proposals, he responded that Greece is “very serious”, but noted that close cooperation is needed.
Regarding scenarios of a “Grexit”, Mr. Dijsselbloem declared expressed his agreement with ECB chief Mario Draghi and EC president Jean-Claude Juncker that there is no such probability, while claiming that no any such discussions have taken place.
