The ever-present "agreements must be adhered to" phrase was again uttered by a Eurozone official on Friday, in response to a cascade of reports out of Athens this week that the Tsipras government will not implement scheduled pension cuts at the beginning of the year.
The ever-present "agreements must be adhered to" phrase was again uttered by a Eurozone official on Friday, in response to a cascade of reports out of Athens this week that the Tsipras government will not implement scheduled pension cuts at the beginning of the year.
Moreover, the same official, who wished to remain unnamed, said no discussion over such a prospect will take place at the first Eurogroup meeting of the season, set for Vienna in October.
At the same time, the official said all pending issues will be up for discussion when institutional creditors' auditors return to Athens in September for contacts with the Greek government - part of quarterly reviews envisioned in the post-memorandum framework, i.e. an "enhanced supervision" regime.
"Cuts may not be necessary now; they may, however, be needed in the coming period, depending on a need to achieve a primary budget surplus of 3.5 percent of (annual) GDP," the official said, speaking to reporters in Brussels.
The source was asked by reporters to comment on a recent statement by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who prominently stated that the "cycle of spending cuts has passed" in Greece.