Eurogroup

A meeting in Brussels on Friday between Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and representatives of Greece's international creditors yielded some progress but, although foreign auditors are expected to return to Athens next week to resume bailout negotiations, European officials indicated that the review might drag into March.

Eurozone President Jeroen Dijsselbloem has issued a written statement following the informal mini-Eurozone meeting in Brussels, late Friday. “Today the Greek minister of Finance, the institutions (European Commission, ECB, ESM and IMF) and I had a constructive meeting on the state of play of the second review.

Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the size of Greece’s primary budget surplus, which excludes interest payments, would be one topic of discussion at a planned meeting in Brussels later on Friday. Apart from Mr.

Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the size of Greece's primary budget surplus, which excludes interest payments, would be one topic of discussion at a planned meeting in Brussels later on Friday.

The government is waiting for a move from Greece's creditors to break the deadlock in frozen bailout negotiations, Kathimerini understands, as European officials indicate that very little progress has been achieved since last month's Eurogroup.

The head of the EuroGroup, Jeroen Dijsselbloem warned that the Netherlands would withdraw from the Greek bailout program if the IMF departed. Only a day after he dubbed the IMF Executive Directors’ statement on the Greek matter outdated, Mr. Dijsselbloem stressed that the Dutch parliemnt was quite clear on the matter, according to newspaper “Telegraph”.

The IMF's latest review of Greece's debt position was surprisingly pessimistic, Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Feb. 7, again ruling out the eurozone granting the country any write-down on its debt.

Leaked in late January, the International Monetary Fund report called Greece's long-term debt commitments unsustainable.

The President of the EuroGroup, Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the report released by the Executive Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) early morning Tuesday on the progress of the Greek program was outdated.

European officials have indicated that they are still waiting for a move from the Greek government in terms of legislating agreed-to reforms, noting that negotiations have essentially frozen since the last Eurogroup meeting on January 26.

After the results of last week's Eurogroup effectively took the wind out of the government's sails, the prime minister's aides say Athens has now entered a "phase of reflection" as it strives to break the deadlock in the negotiations to wrap up the second review of the country's third bailout.