Talks between Greece's institutional creditors are making progress, according to the EU Commission spokeswoman in Brussels, a development aimed to facilitate the return of creditors’ top representatives to Athens for the final stretch towards completing the first review of the “Greek program”.
Spokeswoman Annika Breidthardt declined to respond to press questions over certain well-publicized differences of opinion between the European creditors and the IMF regarding gaps in Greece’s state finances, merely sticking to the point that discussions in Brussels are making progress.
The IMF retains a hard-line stance towards Athens, saying that budget deficits will be larger than what the European side (Commission, ECB) or the Greek government estimate, while at the same time demanding immediate and tangible measures to remedy the situation, i.e. cutting state spending and expanding the tax base downwards.
