europa.eu/Eurogroup statement on Greece of 22 June 2018
Completion of the fourth and final review and growth strategy
The Eurogroup commends the Greek authorities for the completion of all the agreed prior actions of the final review of the ESM programme. We congratulate the Greek authorities and Greek people for the successful conclusion of the ESM programme. The Eurogroup acknowledges the significant efforts made by the Greek citizens over the last years. Greece is leaving the financial assistance programme with a stronger economy building on the fiscal and structural reforms implemented. It is important to continue these reforms, which provide the basis for a sustainable growth path with higher employment and job creation, which in turn is Greece’s best guarantee for a prosperous future. The Eurogroup welcomes the commitment of the Greek authorities to continue and complete all key reforms adopted under the ESM programme and to ensure that the objectives of the important reforms adopted are safeguarded. We also welcome the finalization of a comprehensive growth strategy by the Greek authorities. This strategy, which aims at enhancing Greece’s long-term growth potential and improving the investment climate, underlines the Greek ownership of the reform process following the ESM programme. The Eurogroup further welcomes the signature of a ‘Cooperation and Support Plan’ between the Greek authorities and the European Commission’s Structural Reform Support Services, which provides the continued provision of technical assistance to support reform implementation in the coming years.
For the medium term, this includes the following upfront measures:
The abolition of the step-up interest rate margin related to the debt buy-back tranche of the 2nd Greek programme as of 2018.
The use of 2014 SMP profits from the ESM segregated account and the restoration of the transfer of ANFA and SMP income equivalent amounts to Greece (as of budget year 2017). The available income equivalent amounts will be transferred to Greece in equal amounts on a semi-annual basis in December and June, starting in 2018 until June 2022, via the ESM segregated account and will be used to reduce gross financing needs or to finance other agreed investments. The two measures mentioned above are subject to compliance with policy commitments and monitoring, as outlined below. A further deferral of EFSF interest and amortization by 10 years and an extension of the maximum weighted average maturity (WAM) by 10 years, respecting the programme authorized amount. We agreed that based on a debt sustainability analysis to be provided by the European institutions, the Eurogroup will review at the end of the EFSF grace period in 2032, whether additional debt measures are needed to ensure the respect of the agreed GFN targets, provided that the EU fiscal framework is respected, and take appropriate actions, if needed. The Eurogroup will take into account a positive assessment in the post programme surveillance, particularly in the fiscal area and economic reform policies. In this context, for the long term, the Eurogroup also recalled the May 2016 agreement on a contingency mechanism on debt which could be activated in the case of an unexpectedly more adverse scenario. If activated by the Eurogroup, it could entail measures such as a further re-profiling and capping and deferral of interest payments of the EFSF to the extent needed to meet the GFN benchmarks defined above.
Relevant Posts
- Δήμητρα Καδδά, (2018), «Οι ρήτρες της αυστηρής εποπτείας έως το 2022 & το πλέγμα επιτήρησης 10ετιών», capital.gr, 18 June
- Ειρήνη Χρυσολωρά, (2018), «Εργαλείο «ενισχυμένης» εποπτείας» της Ελλάδας προτείνει η Κομισιόν», kathimerini, 11 May