Eurozone FMs fail to clinch Greece deal amid IMF row

Eurozone finance ministers failed to reach a deal for fresh bailout cash for Greece on Monday, as a row with the International Monetary Fund over debt relief dragged on.

After more than eight hours of talks in Brussels, ministers from the 19-member single currency bloc could not settle deep differences on debt relief pitting Germany, the eurozone’s most powerful member, against the IMF. “I think we are very close to that agreement, but tonight we were unable to close a possible gap between what could be done and what some of us had expected should be done or could be done,” Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem told a news conference.

He said talks would resume at the next meeting of finance ministers in June. “We need to close that (gap) by looking at additional options or by adjusting our expectations,” Dijsselbloem said.

Hopes were high that the eurozone could agree on the debt question and unlock cash after Greek lawmakers tomorrow fulfilled the latest demands for painful austerity measures. The fresh reforms were to open the way to unlock the latest tranche of Greece’s 2015 mega-bailout so that Athens can make a debt payment of 7.0 billion euros ($7.8 billion) in July.

The IMF has made more debt relief a condition of taking part in Greece’s third and latest 86-billion-euro ($94-billion) bailout, agreed two years ago. Greece’s debt mountain stands at a towering 180 percent of annual output, the legacy of a crisis that brought panic to the markets and nearly forced the country out of the euro. The IMF remains far apart from Europe, especially hardline Germany, on the level of need for debt relief measures.

‘No excuse’

The new delay on fresh aid and debt relief will infuriate the Greek government, which pushed through the tough reforms to be ready for Monday’s talks. Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said ahead of the crunch talks: “There is no excuse for further delay on the issue of the debt relief.” Newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron said he backed debt relief for Greece in a phone call on Monday with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Macron told Tsipras he was in favour of “finding a deal soon to alleviate the weight of Greece’s debt over time,” a statement from the presidency said.

But Macron’s position put him at odds with Germany where Greek debt relief following three different bailouts since 2010 — is seen as a vote loser ahead of general elections in September.

‘Wide apart’

Led by tough negotiator and former French finance minister Christine Lagarde, the IMF says Greece’s debt is unsustainable and will be “explosive” in the long run, requiring a more ambitious plan from Europe. This would include dramatically extending grace periods and maturities on the loans far beyond what the eurozone has committed to so far. The question has served as a point of contention for months between the IMF and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble. — AFP