Talks on Greek debt on next EuroGroup agenda: Dijsselbloem

Debt relief only after completion of program after 2018, says EuroGroup head

The Greek debt will be officially included on the May 22 EuroGroup agenda, according to the head of the body Jeroen Dijsselbloem. In the regular briefing to the Dutch parliament Mr. Dijsselbloem made it clear that the EuroGroup Finance Ministers would discuss the Greek debt issue, while the statement, which was made public on Monday, says the May 22 meeting will also focus on the staff level agreement reached in Athens. The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) will table its proposals on details regarding the release of the next tranche to Greece. The EuroGroup head stresses in the document that the sustainability of the Greek debt is a requirement for the participation in the program by the IMF, while he clarifies that according to the May 2016 EuroGroup statement any debt relief measures would be examined in the event this is deemed necessary and after the completion of the program in 2018.