Maria Luís Albuquerque, in an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt published on Friday, said that Europe does not consider “discuss other conditions” that those provided for in the assistance program for Greece currently in force.
“There is a framework within which we are ready to discuss with the Greek government. This framework is the current aid program, which must be extended,” said Finance Minister, cited by AFP.
Grant loans without reward “is not possible for anyone, whether in Portugal or Greece,” he insisted. “When I ask for a loan to my bank, I have to commit myself to reimburse it, and I have to give guarantees, that’s how things work,” insisted the Portuguese governor.
Maria Luís Albuquerque, which was reunited Thursday with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, so it keeps the position of the Portuguese government, which has aligned with Germany and other countries who argue that Greece must apply for an extension of the current financial assistance program.
In the absence of any rapprochement between Athens and Berlin, the period of Friday, which was imposed by the President of the Eurogroup, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, already being called into question. The German commissioner, Günther Oettinger, indicated that the next step if this meeting does not produce agreement, can be an extraordinary European Council next week.
“We are working so that Greece stay in the euro zone,” Oettinger said in remarks the German radio Deutschlandrundfund, played by Reuters. “On that basis, I think that an agreement will be possible in the next eight days – if necessary through a new meeting of heads of government.”
Oettinger belongs to the CDU, and speaks regularly with Angela Merkel, adds Reuters.
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