Eurogroup

As discussions get under way between Greece and the International Monetary Fund about a potential early exit from the country’s bailout program, Eurogroup Chairman Jeroen Dijssebloem did not rule out the prospect on Monday but suggested that such a debate was premature.

Having secured a fresh confidence vote, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras now faces the challenge of further bolstering the fragile coalition amid growing political tensions, with government officials expected to press creditors to approve a plan for Greece’s gradual disengagement from the memorandum.

By Anestis Dokas

The Athens Exchange’s London roadshow got under way at Bloomberg’s headquarters in the British capital on Wednesday featuring 31 listed companies and with much better prospects than the previous editions in 2012 and 2013.

The International Monetary Fund’s denial of reports that it will host a discussion on Greek debt relief in November and Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem’s insistence that no talks on the next phase for the Greek economy can be held until the troika review due to begin at the end of September, have heightened concern in Athens that it could be in limbo for the next few months.

Greece will have to get the troika review due to begin at the end of the month out of the way before it and its lenders can begin assessing issues such as a third bailout and debt relief, Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem said Friday after a meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Milan.

In talks with European Central Bank President Mario Draghi in Milan, Greek Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis has reiterated the Greek government's opposition to the prospect of a third loan program for the country, which is just beginning to see signs of an economic upturn following a recession exacerbated by four years of austerity.

The amendments made to the contentious single property tax (ENFIA) narrowly passed through Parliament on Thursday but only after the government replaced eight of its lawmakers.

Wednesday turned out to be a particularly good day for Greece with regard to the operations of the European Union.

The country’s commissioner, former Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, was assigned a significant and – as it turned out – reinforced portfolio.

Cyprus’s creditors have not approved the foreclosures bill tabled in Parliament by the government in Nicosia, and as a result have decided to postpone the disbursement of the next bailout tranche to the island nation, as the issue will not form part of this Friday’s Eurogroup meeting, Cypriot Finance Minister Harris Georgiades (photo) told CyBC state radio on Tuesday.