Alexis Tsipras

Commenting on the debt swap proposals by Greek Finance Minister Varoufakis, ALDE Group leader Guy Verhofstadt said

"We first want to see serious and concrete structural reform plans from the Greek government before the EU can possibly enter into any negotiations on debt relief."

Despite pressure from eurozone officials to agree to a further extension to the existing bailout, the Greek government insisted Friday that it would not accept its partners? offer but would instead propose the terms of a bridging agreement to see it through the next few months.

Euro-area governments won?t grant Greece?s request for a short-term financing agreement to keep the country afloat while it renegotiates the terms of its financial support, said Jeroen Dijsselbloem, chairman of the bloc?s finance ministers? group.

Greece must cooperate with Europe and the IMF to draw up a plan of reforms consistent with the country's international obligations, the US ambassador to Athens said Friday.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday met with key government officials ahead of announcing his party's program on Sunday and an extraordinary meeting of eurozone finance ministers to discuss Greece next week, the Athens-Macedonian News Agency reported.

Greece's new government was isolated at its first meeting with senior eurozone officials but will have a chance to put forward its plans at a special meeting of finance ministers of the currency bloc next week, EU officials said on Friday.

Italian FinMin Pier Carlo Padoan and former PM Massimo D’Alema referred to the resurgent Greek economic crisis this week, with their positions hosted on Friday in Italian press.

Alexis Tsipras is holding an emergency meeting with the economic team on his Cabinet.

The meeting includes Deputy PM Yannis Dragasakis, FinMin Yanis Varoufakis, Minister of the Economy Yiorgos Stathakis and deputy minister of State Eucleides Tsakalotos.

CNBC provided an extensive report on the entire spectrum of Greek debt discussions in Europe and abroad, adding characteristically that Europeans must “wake up”.

By Elis Kiss

While a tie-less politician was hardly breaking news in Greece this week, Costas Karamanlis?s relaxed appearance at the Parliament?s swearing-in ceremony created some buzz on Thursday. The former premier is a conservative, after all, while the no-tie credo rightfully belongs to the ruling leftist SYRIZA party.