EU official says SLA possible by Monday
A European Union official has confirmed that Greece could reach a staff-level agreement (SLA) with lenders before Monday’s Eurogroup meeting, leaving Athens time until early January to complete all remaining prior actions.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, indicated that talks this week in the Greek capital between Greek government officials and the institutions have progressed well.
He also said that the International Monetary Fund is participating in the present mission and making sure that policies accepted and implemented are in agreement with their precautionary program.
On Thursday, an IMF spokesman said that the Washington-based organization is still expecting the eurozone to agree on debt relief measures for Greece before it commits any finances to the country's bailout.
The disbursement of the next tranche of bailout funds to Greece is expected in February, the EU official noted on Friday.
Speaking about the experts of the country’s privatization agency (TAIPED), who are currently facing trial over a sale-and-leaseback deal for 28 state-owned buildings in 2013 and 2014, the official said legal proceedings were causing “discomfort and grief.”
