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This article was published June 25, 2015 at 15:59.
The last change is the 25 June 2015 at 18:41.
BRUSSELS – The fourth Eurogroup within a week failed: creditors and Greece are already working to prepare a new, yet another meeting Saturday. It is already under way, in fact, a meeting Eurozone Working Group, which includes the Sherpas of finance ministers. The attempt is to work on the two documents submitted to the ministers, one Commission-ECB-IMF, the other in Greece and complement what is integrable. In essence, it is to set the points at which the positions are closer isolating the points on which the positions are irreconcilable at the time and proceed to approximations to the lowest common denominator. The fact that the Eurogroup fourth in a week has failed the mission.
“There’s a big difference between the positions. We have made progress “and the Greeks have moved backwards instead of making progress, said the German Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, on his arrival at the EU Council for the Eurogroup, started around 13. Same position voiced by Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem and by Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to which “were not made sufficient progress.”
The finance ministers of the Eurozone have put on the table a new proposal, which shows how the most controversial points remain those related to pensions and the increase in VAT. Creditors have asked Athens to anticipate 2022 raising the retirement age to 67: originally, the premier greek Alexis Tsipras proposed in 2036, on Monday instead had proposed 2025. In return, the creditors would accept a referral to end of 2019, instead of 2017, the elimination of the so-called Ekas, a bonus for the poorest pensioners. As to the question of the increase in VAT, the last proposal the creditors seem to accept that Greece maintains the 6% for certain product categories. But continue to insist that the removal of the reduction in VAT for the Greek islands.
In addition, credit institutions reject the idea put forward by Athens of a surcharge of 12% on corporate profits in excess of 500 thousand euro. “You can not base a program only on the promise of new revenue – said Christine Lagarde -. It was done in the last five years, with few results. “
On the pension side, lenders insist on a cut of pensions more generous, rather than an increase in contributions as provided by the government Tsipras to make ends meet . They also want the abolition of early retirement. For the premier greek it comes to finding a double compromise with its creditors and with his party, which in Athens is increasingly divided the idea of accepting too unpopular economic measures.
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