The German Finance Ministry confirmed Mr. Schaeuble’s statements, clarifying that the Finance Ministry of the strongest European economy “said nothing new”. After Mr. Schaeuble urged Greece to continue with reforms if it wishes to remain in the Eurozone, immediate reactions arose from the public and politicians alike. The reason being that “reforms” are inextricably linked to austerity measures, something which made many people, including Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, uncomfortable. The latter’s plans were confounded and he is now under political pressure from within his coalition on the matter.

The same source within the German Finance Ministry noted that “Germany will be very happy if Greece manages to raise the funds it needs on its own, through its recent re-entry into markets. However, they stated “if Greece should require help, we will be there”. The aforementioned statement relates directly to Mr. Schaeuble’s estimates that Athens will require a new 10 billion euro loan in order to cope with its fiscal responsibilities.

On its part, the deputy representative of the Germany Ministry of Finance reiterated that the FinMin’s statements were “nothing new” and underlined Germany’s desire and willingness to provide a helping hand to Greece, should the need arise, yet again.