Handelsblatt reports that Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP) party will vote against the ongoing Greek bailout program when the prospect arises on Wednesday in the Bundestag.
In a dispatch, posted on the German newspaper's webpage, claims that the liberal-minded FDP will submit a motion, at today's budget committee meeting, to reject the disbursement of a fourth loan tranche to Greece in the current (third) memorandum program. The FDP was nearly a coalition partner of current CDU-dominated Merkel government.
Handelsblatt reminds that European creditors recently confirmed that the leftist-rightist Greek coalition government has implemented 110 "prior actions", while at the same time approving the next tranche of loan money, reaching 6.7 billion euros. The cash aims to cover the Greek state's arrears to the private sector and as a "cash buffer" for the period when Greece attempts a return to sovereign lending markets after August 2018.
In a statement carried by Handelsblatt, FDP Parliamentary group head Christian Dürr was quoted as saying that "Athens is only fulfilling its commitments towards international creditors on paper, despite assurances to the opposite. Significant reform measures are delayed or suspended."
As an example, Dürr said a pending pension reform will be implemented in 2019, "if it's implemented".
