Eurozone

Companies making plans for investments could look forward to a reduction of taxation by 30 percent from 2021 if Greece's creditors approve a government proposal for utilizing the profits of eurozone central banks from Greek bonds (SMPs and ANFAs) for investment purposes.

Former European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker says in an interview with Kathimerini that Greece could have been expelled from the eurozone in 2015 if he had not stepped in to smooth out tensions between Athens and other member states.

In March the government is anticipating a positive decision by the Eurogroup regarding at least one of the three requests it has submitted to the creditors so as to secure some additional fiscal space, according to a senior Finance Ministry official.

The government's negotiations with the country's creditors are focused on five fronts, as Athens seeks to secure additional fiscal space so it can implement tax breaks and handouts in accordance with its policy. Among the government targets for this year are cutting the solidarity levy and the further reduction of the Single Property Tax (ENFIA).

Finance Minister Christos Staikouras presented the government's priorities for 2020 at Monday's Eurogroup meeting in Brussels, mentioning Athens' request for a primary surplus reduction for 2021 and 2022, an issue eurozone sources say will start being debated in the year's first half.

Finance Minister Christos Staikouras presented the government's priorities for 2020 at Monday's Eurogroup meeting in Brussels, mentioning Athens' request for a primary surplus reduction for 2021 and 2022, an issue eurozone sources say will start being debated in the year's first half.

The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) has appointed Paolo Fioretti as mission chief for Greece, replacing Nicola Giammarioli who held the post since 2015, the ESM said in a statement.

The negotiations concerning the provision of additional guarantees by the Greek state so as to have the senior notes issued by banks in the context of the Hercules asset protection scheme considered risk-free are heading toward a positive conclusion, sources have told Kathimerini.

Eurozone banks increased their net interest income in the first nine months of last year, despite incessant complaints that negative central bank rates are wiping out their most basic form of income, data from the European Central Bank showed on Wednesday.

President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday that further action will be taken to ensure Romania's accession to the Schengen area and the eurozone.