×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Tuesday
16
Dec 2025
weather symbol
Athens 12°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> Economy

IMF head Lagarde disputes EC forecasts and effectiveness of measures

IMF threatens to leave Greek program, if debt relief not discussed

Newsroom May 6 04:55

IMF Director Christine Lagarde has openly disputed the forecasts by the European Commission that Greece would achieve a 3.5% GDP primary surplus in 2018, in a letter sent to the 19 Euozone Finance Ministers, ahead of Monday’s Eurogroup meeting. Lagarde calls for an immediate discussion on a Greek debt relief, threatening that the IMF will bail out of the Greek program. According to newspaper ‘Financial Times’ (FT), Lagarde doubts the primary surplus could be reached in her letter, because it is based on imposing huge taxes on a limited tax base and one-off ’emergency measures’ proposed by the Greek government. ‘Unfortunately, the emergency revenue collection mechanism Greece has proposed does not include specific economic reforms’, the letter says, according to FT. Lagarde continues by stressing that the IMF will only support a new Greek program, if the European partners on board the rescue plan base their funding and a debt relief on realistic fiscal targets backed by reliable measures. Lagarde is effectively doubting the figures presented by the European Commission dubbing them unrealistic, a dispute that will set the tone of talks on the May 9 Eurogroup meeting, the agenda of which was presented by Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem.

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

> More Economy

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Valencia shocks Olympiacos in Piraeus with late surge to claim EuroLeague victory

December 16, 2025

The majority of Ukrainians are against the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas

December 16, 2025

Bulgaria joins the Euro: Changes coming to northern Greece in property, tourism, business, and consumerism

December 16, 2025

After Antetokounmpo, Jokic also targeted by Sengun: “You can’t touch him, he gets a foul every time

December 16, 2025

November 17: Half a century after the killing of Welch, nothing has been learned, and the file remains open

December 16, 2025

US to deliver 2 bcm of LNG to Hungary in the next 5 years

December 16, 2025

With 159 “yes” and 136 “no” votes, the 2026 budget passed the Parliament

December 16, 2025

Panathinaikos vs Fenerbahce 81-77 victory at the final buzzer (updated)

December 16, 2025
All News

> Politics

With 159 “yes” and 136 “no” votes, the 2026 budget passed the Parliament

A total of 295 Members voted

December 16, 2025

Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s speech on the budget in the Parliament (updated)

December 16, 2025

Watch live: Kyriakos Pierrakakis on the floor of the Parliament

December 16, 2025

Hatzidakis: An additional 160 million package to support livestock farmers, cotton, and wheat producers

December 16, 2025

Charitsis: No to the war budget, we demand a reduction of defense spending to 2%

December 16, 2025
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2025 Πρώτο Θέμα