European debt crisis

 Frankfurt sees no reason to change its tough stance toward Athens as it has seen no concrete progress

By Sotiris Nikas

European finance ministers urged Greece on March 9 to stop wasting time in talks on its crucial bailout as debt-stricken Athens warned of a possible referendum if its reform plans are rejected.

A list of reforms proposed by Greece last week to help it win creditor support is "far from complete," the head of the Eurogroup said.

Speaking at an event in Amsterdam on Sunday, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who is also Dutch finance minister, said the Greek proposal was "serious" but not enough.

Greece will auction 1 billion euros of three-month treasury bills on March 11 to refinance a maturing issue, debt agency PDMA said on Friday, announcing its second sale this month as the government faces a cash crunch.

Greece cannot rely on the European Central Bank to raise a limit on Athens' issuance of short-term debt, ECB President Mario Draghi suggested on Thursday.

He also said the rules meant the ECB could not buy Greek bonds under its new asset-buying programme.

By Eleni Chrepa

Greece faces another week of hurdles before the March 9 meeting of euro-region finance ministers in Brussels, where they will evaluate the government's list of proposed measures aimed at keeping aid flowing.

By Agnes Lovasz & Ian Wishart

Greece, the European Union's most indebted member, will receive financing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development through 2020 to promote an economic overhaul.

By John Geddie

Most eurozone bond yields held near record lows on Tuesday as investors waited for details of the European Central Bank's trillion euro quantitative easing (QE) programme that kicks off later this week.

By Sarah Morris & Lefteris Papadimas

Eurozone countries are discussing a third bailout for Greece worth 30 billion to 50 billion euros, Spain's economy minister said on Monday, but EU officials said there were no such talks.

Greece's government sought to assure its creditors and investors on Monday that it can cover its funding needs this month, including repaying a 1.5 billion euro loan to the International Monetary Fund.