Greek withdrawal from the eurozone

The first six months of the leftist-led SYRIZA government cost Greece around 200 billion euros,  former Euro Working Group chief Thomas Wieser told the Delphi Economic Forum on Friday, describing that estimate as "safe" and "conservative."

The first six months of the leftist-led SYRIZA government cost Greece around 200 billion euros,  former Euro Working Group chief Thomas Wieser told the Delphi Economic Forum on Friday, describing that estimate as "safe" and "conservative."

The pace of growth in lending to eurozone businesses picked up in January, European Central Bank data showed on Feb. 27, in a welcome piece of news for the institution as it eyes an exit from its easy money policy.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated on Friday that the period of bailout programs is over in the eurozone after Greece's progress.

Merkel told a press conference that the euro area is beyond the period of bailout programs, which began in 2010 with Greece's first rescue, as "Greece has made major progress."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated on Friday that the period of bailout programs is over in the eurozone after Greece's progress.

Merkel told a press conference that the euro area is beyond the period of bailout programs, that began in 2010 with Greece's first rescue, as "Greece has made major progress".

Monday's Eurogroup is expected to officially bring down the curtain on the third review even though it will take a few more days for some prior actions to be completed. The completion of the latest assessment by Greece's lenders will be the trigger for a number of defining developments in the coming months.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Friday in an interview with the Financial Times that it was not mainly Germany that wanted to see Greece out of the eurozone in 2015.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who on Friday steps down as eurogroup chief, has said he never backed the idea of a Greek exit from the euro.

In an interview with the Financial Times published Friday, Dijsselbloem said a Greek exit from the euro area, intensely speculated in 2015, would have been "really damaging" and a "huge mistake."

HSBC echoed the concerns of the Bank of Greece, saying a precautionary program or increased monitoring will be necessary for Greece once the country has emerged from eight years in bailout programs.

It's a mark of the reversal in fortunes in the eurozone that talk in Brussels is turning to expanding membership of the single currency club.  Having survived multiple Grexit threats and hauled itself out of a low-growth trap, the European Commission wants to welcome the euro outsiders in. Bulgaria is the chief candidate to make the euro-19 turn 20.