A scheduled reduction in Greek state spending for social security is a standing commitment by country, the Athens daily "Ta Nea" reports on Friday, citing German chancellery sources.
In a dispatch from Berlin by the newspaper's correspondent, the statement attributed to the sources is that implementation of the already legislated austerity measure "is primarily subject to the post-memorandum supervision (of Greece's finances and economic policy) by the institutions (creditors) and the Eurozone."
The report, if confirmed, considerably dampens the poll-trailing Tsipras government's optimism that creditors, mostly Eurozone partners, the Commission and the ECB, would eventually concede to a suspension of the measure - set for implementation on January 1, 2019.
The statements also apparently counter another report by an Athens newspaper, "Kathimerini", which earlier in the week stated that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was "warming" to the prospect of the pension cuts being avoided.
The quote published in "Ta Nea" and attributed to the German chancellery notes:
"We never comment on press reports citing purported statements by the Chancellor (Merkel). Regardless of this, what applies is this: Greece, as part of its (fiscal adjustment) program and its conclusion, has committed to continuing and implementing a reform course, which was outlined in the ESM program. Implementation of this commitment is primarily subject to the post-memorandum supervision by the institutions and the Eurozone".
