Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras asked parliament early Saturday to approve his reform proposals to creditors as a “national responsibility” that would keep the struggling nation inside the European Union, AFP reports.
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Greece submitted its proposals for a new bailout to European creditors yesterday- conceding much of what was voted against by a popular referendum and the Syriza party itself- in an effort to prevent the country’s economy from imploding.
Ahead of the vote, Mr Tsipras acknowledged the proposals were a far cry from his party’s pre-election promises.
Tsipras said his government had made mistakes during his six-month tenure but said he had negotiated as hard as he could.
“Now I have the feeling we’ve reached the… line”.
He said a talk with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker Friday left him with the sense that the global creditors feel the Greek proposals are “moving in the right direction”.
Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras arrives for a meeting as his lawmakers of Syriza party ap …
Eurozone officials will now study the details of the plan on Saturday before a make-or-break summit of all 28 European Union leaders the following day that could determine Greece’s future in the single currency and even the bloc as a whole.
“We should do everything so that Greece remains in the eurozone”, Valls told reporters in remarks broadcast on French television.
As Europe decides on the fate of Greece over the weekend, a new poll from Yougov shows that the Finnish government has perhaps the trickiest balancing act in reconciling public opinion with any possible deal to provide debt relief for Greece.
But Germany, the biggest lender in two previous bailouts totaling 240 billion euros ($265 billion) since 2010, is deeply skeptical after five months of abortive talks with Tsipras.
“The parliament today gave the government a strong mandate to complete the negotiations and reach an economically viable and socially fair agreement with its partners”, he said.
Dutch finance minister and eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said a “major decision… whichever way” would be coming this weekend, while calling the document “thorough”.
Greece’s new finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos stressed the urgency of the loan request “given the fragility of our banking system”, the lack of liquidity and the country’s forthcoming obligations.
Greeks have said they have suffered enough from spending and pension cuts that have cost jobs and lowered their standards of living, and the government has demanded a debt restructuring from the worldwide Monetary Fund.
“The realistic proposal from Greece will have to be matched by an equally realistic proposal on debt sustainability from the creditors”.
French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said he is “reasonably optimistic” on the possibility of a deal with Greece.
It’s the first anti-government rally since Sunday’s referendum.
Greece’s banks will remain closed until at least Monday with withdrawals from cash machines limited to £40.
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Greece’s pro-European opposition parties – the centrist To Potami, the conservative New Democracy and socialist PASOK – expressed their support for Tsipras’ plans, which includes trimming defence spending over the next two years. Although credit and debit cards work freely within the country, many businesses are refusing to accept them and insisting on cash-only payments.
