Greece needs to get back to work on bailout reforms, eurozone ministers say

Eurozone finance ministers pushed Greece on Friday to get back to work and speed up a reform drive it agreed to in a bailout package before getting a new tranche of money.

Under a deal signed last year with eurozone countries, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, Greece can receive financial assistance of up to 86 billion euros by 2018 in return for agreed reforms.

The Eurogroup, comprising eurozone finance ministers, had approved a tranche of 10.3 billion euros for Greece in May from the overall package. An initial 7.5 billion euros of that sum had been transferred to Athens with the rest available to Greece until the end of October if it meets some conditions.

Ministers at an informal summit in Bratislava on Friday expressed concern that the country, which was due to update the group, was falling behind schedule in its efforts.