By N. Bellos
[email protected]
Any decision to acquiesce to a pressing request by Athens for a suspension of scheduled social security cuts in January 2019 will, by all accounts, be taken at a Dec. 3 Eurogroup meeting, according to a top Eurozone official on Monday.
The same official clarified that the request by the Tsipras coalition government is not on the agenda of the Oct. 1 Eurogroup meeting in Luxembourg, and as a result will not officially be discussed by the Euro area's finance ministers.
As "N" has reported, Athens must first sent a copy of its draft 2019 budget before Oct. 15 to the EU Commission, with the latter then expected to issue its opinion on the budget and the pension cuts issue. Eurozone and Eurogroup experts will follow.
The "road map" means Athens' request to avoid the austerity measure will probably not be up for discussion at a Nov. 5 Eurogroup meeting.
