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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-05-20
CONTENTS
[01] Brussels Group resumes intensive talks to bridge gap in negotiations
with Greece
[02] Central government debt down to 312.7 bln euros in Q1 2015
[01] Brussels Group resumes intensive talks to bridge gap in negotiations
with Greece
ANA-MPA -- The Brussels Group is meeting on Wednesday in Brussels to
bridge the gap on open issues discussed in the ongoing negotiations
between Greece and its lenders.
Greek sources in Brussels with knowledge on the subject said talks
between Greek authorities and the representatives of the institutions
will continue until Saturday, without excluding more meetings. The Greek
side wants an emergency Eurogroup meeting to be held before the start of
June which will issue a statement saying progress has been achieved and
a comprehensive agreement is close at hand. The same sources argue that
such a statement would allow the ECB to raise its cap in the issuance
of T-bills. The issues still discussed in the negotiations are the
VAT, pension and labour reforms, non-performing loans, the fiscal gap,
primary surpluses and an analysis of debt sustainability. Concerning VAT,
the sources say it's possible to agree with lenders on three categories
for the tax, with food set at the lower rate. On pension reforms, the
thorny issue is limiting early retirement, according to the sources.
[02] Central government debt down to 312.7 bln euros in Q1 2015
ANA-MPA -- Greek central government debt fell to 312.701 billion euros
at the end of the first quarter of 2015, from 324.127 billion euros at
the end of December 2014, official figures showed on Wednesday.
The Public Debt Management Organisation, in a report said that the Greek
state's cash reserves totaled 796.5 million euros at the end of March,
from 2.574 billion euros at the end of December 2014.
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