Berlin to Yanis: 'No such thing as pre-planned lack of clarity in loan agreement'

Statements by the German government

Immediately after a successful vote in the Bundestag on the extension of the Greek loan agreement, German government officials fielded an array of press questions related to yet another eyebrow-raising quip by Greek FinMin Varoufakis, who earlier claimed that eurozone partners wanted “ambiguous statements” in the extension agreement.

 

The representative of the German Finance Ministry flatly denied the notion, as expressed by Varoufakis, saying that there was no “secret agreement in the Eurogroup” on reforms or primary surplus.

The Eurogroup clarified that the fiscal environment would be the only parameter taken into account in 2015. The primary surplus target of 4.5% must be followed for the next few years. This surplus is necessary to repay debt so that by 2022, it becomes viable.

 

The briefing also was witness to a question about a supposedly secret meeting between Varoufakis and German State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Labour Joerg Asmussen, a German official who has reportedly been communicating with Alexis Tsipras for years. According to information by German newspaper Sächsiche Zeitung, Asmussen advised Varoufakis prior to his meeting with Germany “iron” FinMin Wolfgang Schaeuble on the way to handle the latter in order to get a positive outcome.

 

The German spokesman said he knows of no such meeting, and that Mr. Asmussen had no official mandate to negotiate with the Greek FinMin.