Greece

By Yiannis Papadoyiannis

In the e-mail sent to the Eurogroup by Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis on Tuesday the government appears to have swung closer toward reality in terms of the credit sector, abandoning all previous policy statements on strengthening the state?s role in banks and tackling nonperforming loans.

With the title “Tsipras puts an end to humiliation”, the electronic edition of German Die Zeitmakes an extensive report on latest developments in Greece.

According to the newspaper, “Greece can again be in charge of its own reform program”, although as the columnist further notes “the country is not saved but regains a bit of its integrity.”

 Samaras says coalition stuck with same measures his administration was due to adopt

New Democracy and PASOK accused the government Tuesday of taking the country backward after eurozone finance ministers approved the set of proposals put forward by the coalition, paving the way for a four-month extension to the country?s loan agreement.

Government circles characterize the deal with partners and the Varoufakis published list as a small step in the opposite direction that things were heading so far.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday postponed for a second time the hearing of an appeal by the Finance Ministry with regard to a First Instance Court ruling instructing the ministry to rehire a group of 393 cleaners placed in a civil service mobility scheme in 2013.

The decision to postpone the hearing came following a request by the legal teams on both sides.

By David Goodman

Greece's bonds rose as euro-area finance ministers approved a bailout extension, deferring a showdown over the nation's future in the currency bloc.

By Roxana Zega

Greek equities rallied as euro-area finance ministers approved the nation?s package of new economic measures, paving the way for an extension of its bailout plan.

The ASE Index rose 8.5 percent to 927.13 at 4:30 p.m. in Athens, with a gauge of banks rallying as much as 16 percent. The ASE is set to close at its highest level since Dec. 8.

The New Democracy parliamentary team will be convening on the 5th of March, under the presidency of party president Antonis Samaras. The Political Council of the party will convene on the 8th of March.

The subject of both meetings will be post-elections developments and the reasons why the party lost.

The memoranda are over, according to Minister of the Interior, Nikos Voutsis, who stated that there are no new measures in the list of reforms sent by FinMin Yanis Varoufakis to the commission. According to Mr. Voutsis, the text sent by the government has nothing to do with new measures or new memoranda.

PASOK chief Evangelos Venizelos on Tuesday accused the SYRIZA-led government of taking "steps back" in its reform proposal to international creditors, saying that "the Greek government is being forced to write the memorandum in its own hand."