Tsipras calls Merkel, Hollande and Juncker over Greek programme, refugee crisis
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Sunday contacted German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on the telephone to discuss the refugee crisis and the ongoing talks on Greece’s programme.
According to an announcement issued by the Greek prime minister’s press office, Tsipras informed them about his upcoming visit to Turkey and analysed the Greek government’s proposals for protecting the first homes of debtors from foreclosures. He argued that the Greek position on foreclosure auctions was compatible with the agreement struck between Greece and its Eurozone partners last July, as well as the need to protect social cohesion.
Regarding the visit to Turkey, the three foreign officials welcomed Tsipras’ initiative as part of broader planning by the European partners to cooperate with Turkey on the basis of international law, aimed at a more effective management of the refugee and migration issue and particularly the fight against trafficking networks.
‘Time is pressing’ EU Commissioner Moscovici tells ‘Real News’
Greece needs to move quickly and reach “firm and specific agreements in the next few days on all the major outstanding issues under discussion,” European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs stressed in an interview with the Greek newspaper “Real News” published on Sunday.
During the interview, which the newspaper clarified was given on Friday, Moscovici emphasised that time was now pressing and expressed hope that Monday’s Eurogroup will facilitate further progress in the talks very soon.
The Commissioner emphasised that Greece was not carrying out reforms in order to please its creditors but to create the conditions needed to return to growth, so that businesses can start to invest and generate jobs and the country can have the prospect of a stable and prosperous future in the Eurozone.
He said the momentum between Greek authorities and the institutions remained positive, with the earlier suspicion and lack of understanding now replaced by trust and a mutual desire to work together.
Asked about the issue of non-performing loans, Moscovici said that a solution to this will also be the key to restoring Greece’s banking system to health and restoring the flow of credit to the real economy. He said that “intense talks” were underway on the issue of foreclosure laws and that the aim was to arrive at a targeted formula that will protect only the most vulnerable groups while tackling “strategic” bad debtors, expressing confidence that a mutually acceptable and workable solution can be found.