BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – The next European Group meeting on Greece should be decisive and should move on from discussing Greece’s economic reforms for financial aid to making a final decision, European Commission President Donald Tusk said Thursday.
“It’s obvious that we need decisions and not negotiations now. It’s my opinion that the Greek government has to be a little bit more realistic, there’s no more space for gambling. The next European Group meeting [in mid-June] will be very crucial and must be decisive,” Tusk said during a press conference in Brussels.
Greece was among the countries that were hit the hardest by the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. Greece's overall debt is currently estimated to be around $350 billion of which $270 billion the country owes to three of its biggest lenders, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Union and the European Central Bank.
On June 4, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that Greece could receive a total of $40 billion in funding until 2020 if it vows to implement the reforms that would ensure the future economic growth in the country.
The reforms the European Union wants Athens to introduce include decreasing pension benefits and increasing the value added tax.
