Eurozone

From France's point of view, that undermines the whole point of European integration, namely, to prevent war with Germany and provide a platform for amplifying French power.

For as long as London actively championed enlargement and Berlin was basically supportive, Paris could not hope to block enlargement.

The European Commission on Wednesday approved the Greek draft budget for 2020, hailed by the center-right government as containing ambitious measures that will spur growth and bolster investments.

Greek Finance Minister Christos Staikouras is heading to Washington to attend the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

The presentation of Eleni Varvitsioti and Viktoria Dendrinou's book "The Last Bluff" (published by Papadopoulos) took place on Monday evening in a packed amphitheater at the Benaki Museum annex on Pireos Street, south of central Athens.

Greece's four systemic banks have no option but to participate in the government's plan for the reduction of bad loans, named "Hercules," approved last week by the European Commission.

Turkey targets to decrease the central government's budget deficit-to-gross domestic product ratio gradually until 2022, according to the country's medium-term fiscal plan.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi on Friday defended the ECB's role in the Greek debt crisis of 2015, when it froze a cash lifeline for the country's banks - forcing the government to introduce capital controls and weakening its negotiating positions with creditors.

Bulgaria can join the ERM II exchange rate mechanism in the first or second quarter of 2020. This was stated by the head of the European Banking Restructuring Council, Elke König. The leading institution in the process is the European Central Bank, with its response expected in mid-summer or early fall, BNR reports.

The difference between the estimates of the government and the eurozone on Greece's fiscal gap in 2020 is constantly shrinking, with government sources now speaking of a difference amounting to just 350 million euros, down from 1 billion euros when the mission chiefs concluded their visit to Greece last month.

European finance ministers have agreed on the details of a relatively small investment and reform budget within the euro area, which will start operating in 2021.

The euro zone budget, known as the Budgetary Instrument for Convergence and Competitiveness (BICC), is expected to be finalized next year and start operating in 2021, Eurogroup President Mario Centeno said on Thursday.