The Greek government and the “troika” reached a deal for new reforms that will secure the paying of the country’s debt. The document will enter the Greek Parliament today. The Government is hoping that it will pass the bill tomorrow.
The Agreement was reached after 18 hours of continuous negotiations between the Greeks and representatives of European institutions. After lengthy bargaining both sides had made small concessions on key questions such as reforming the privatization fund, non-returnable taxes and liberalizing the energy market, in order to spare further postponing the negotiations and causing new problems that will prevent the country from paying the first rate of the loan.
Greek news agency APE reports, citing government sources, that the sides had agreed not to conduct new measures so that they fulfill the set targets in 2015 and 2016. The new agreement, which according to many in Greece is a third memorandum for austerity measures agreed between the government and European creditors, is known to include an agreement on the country’s primary deficit of 0,25 percent of GDP in 2015, primary surplus of 0,5 percent of GDP in 2016, 1,75 primary surplus in 2017 and 3,5 percent primary surplus in 2018.
Both sides are yet to conclude the latest of the technical details. More information about the entire deal and the concrete measures is expected by the end of today.
The battle with Greece’s creditors will continue in the Greek Parliament where Prime Minister Tsipras is expecting to face serious opposition against the measures from his own Syriza party ranks. It is unknown yet whether this third vote on the agreement with the creditors is going to inflict new losses in the ranks of the governing party which is having a party congress this fall and potential parliamentary elections.
