A Commission spokeswoman on Friday again merely confirmed that no date was set for a return of creditors' negotiators to Athens in order to resume talks to finally conclude a second review of the Greek program (third bailout).
At present, the second review is now more than a year in delay, with negative developments in the crisis-swamped Greek economy in the first quarter of the year piling on.
Annika Breidthardt again stuck by the "progress has been recorded" line in answering questions at a regular press briefing. Her statement came after a EWG meeting on Thursday evening also failed to reveal a return of top negotiators back to Greece.
What's apparent this week is that talks between the embattled Tsipras government and creditors are continuing, but at a distance, in order to finalize a draft agreement over new austerity measures and fiscal targets for after 2019, leaving only the details to be ironed out in person. A staff-level agreement to be presented at an April 7 Eurogroup meeting in Malta is the latest "unofficial deadline" that both sides have cited.
