Tsipras and Merkel sound conciliatory tone after Berlin meeting March 23, 2015 Greece took its negations for EU cash all the way to Berlin today, where Prime Minsiter Alexis Tsipras met the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. The meeting appeared to go well, with both sides appearing keen to find common ground and there did seem to be genuine warmth between the two leaders. Looks like it was [...]
Greek crisis: European markets dip ahead of meeting between Alexis Tsipras and Angela Merkel March 23, 2015 Germany's Dax lead European markets down, falling 0.93 per cent as Chancellor Angela Merkel prepared to thrash out a deal with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras this afternoon. France's Cac 40 fell 0.56 per cent, while the FTSE 100 – which on Friday hit 7,000 points for the first time – fell back 0.27 per [...]
Grexit: Spain ups the ante, saying no EU handouts for cash-strapped Greece until reforms are implemented March 22, 2015 If Greece was expecting an easy run in after last week’s summit, it can think again. Spain’s government has made it clear it expects Athens to put forward a comprehensive list of reforms and then ensure they are carried out, before it receives vital EU cash to help its floundering economy. Speaking in an interview [...]
Greece will get EU funds after positive summit – Tsipras March 20, 2015 There could be light at the end of the tunnel for Greece after talks in Brussels ended with Prime Minsiter Alexis Tsipras calling the summit "positive". Greece, he said, can now proceed with talks to get EU funding as soon as possible. That funding will be forthcoming only if the country's creditors agree with the [...]
Was this video of Yanis Varoufakis giving Germany the finger faked? March 19, 2015 It was the finger heard around the Eurozone: charismatic Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis appearing to flip the bird at Germany at a time when relations between the two countries couldn't be much tenser. Fears of a Grexit and demands for war reparations were still high on the agenda, and a flippant insult from a [...]
Alexis Tsipras defiant despite growing anger on talks March 18, 2015 Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras sent a strong anti-austerity message to the country’s parliament yesterday. However, in a blow to Syriza’s solidarity, the party’s chief economist Yiannis Milios left his post. “People have asked us to put an end to austerity and bailout agreements, to begin the process of reclaiming the dignity of the nation,” [...]
Patience snaps: YouGov poll shows 60 per cent of Germans now back Grexit March 18, 2015 As Greece continues to languish in the economic danger zone, public opinion in the powerhouse of the European economy has shifted. A majority of the German public – 60 per cent – think a Greek exit from the eurozone would be preferable to the debt-ridden country remaining in the Eurozone. German public opinion has come [...]
German politician Gesine Schwan supports war reparations for Greece March 17, 2015 A respected German politician has called on the country to pay war reparations to Greece, as well as repay an occupation loan to its central bank. “We should make a financial approach to victims and their families,” said Gesine Schwan, a member of the Social Democrats who are in coalition with Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic [...]
Liquidity problems are the hot topic in Greece March 17, 2015 The crisis in Greece is deepening. What a difference a few months can make. Last year the country was able to tap the capital markets borrowing for three and five years paying interest of under five per cent. Its four main banks had received a cleanish bill of health in the European Central Bank’s Asset [...]
Greek-German relations hit by Second World War reparation demands March 11, 2015 Greece’s relationship with Germany soured dramatically yesterday as the country’s justice minister raised the prospect of seizing German assets as reparations for the damage done by the Nazis in the Second World War. The two countries are at loggerheads over the renegotiation of Greece’s international bailout, and the chances of a successful resolution of the [...]