Samaras meets Eurogroup President Dijsselbloem
Sources said that Dijsselbloem praised the government, echoing the positive statements he had made earlier the same day during the informal meeting of Eurozone finance ministers at the Zappion building in Athens.
Eurogroup statement on Greece
The Eurogroup welcomes the conclusion of the fourth review mission under the second macroeconomic adjustment programme for Greece. The Eurogroup reiterates its appreciation for the efforts made by the Greek citizens and notes with satisfaction that the fiscal performance is on track to exceed the programme targets in 2013 and meet them in 2014, allowing Greece to provide additional financing for debt servicing and to undertake some one-off spending in 2014 to bolster social cohesion. Good progress is also being made on structural reforms according to ANA-MPA
At the same time, the reform process will have to continue in order to enhance the growth potential of the Greek economy by creating job opportunities and a healthy investment environment. In this context, the Eurogroup welcomes the authorities' strong commitment to the implementation of a wide range of product (goods and services) market and institutional reforms. Concrete measures to liberalise transport and rental markets and to open up closed professions are being prepared. Bold and frontloaded cuts in social security contributions are expected to improve competitiveness and boost growth. In addition, the authorities have committed to far-reaching energy market reforms and to enhancing the privatisation of public corporate and real estate assets, which would provide financing to the government while unlocking private investment. It is also important that continued progress is made in the area of public administration reforms, in order to improve the quality and efficiency of the services that the public sector provides to its citizens, as well as with labour market reforms.