Reforms ‘on track,’ ministers say as PM to focus on repossessions
Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and a team of key ministers met at the Maximos Mansion on Tuesday for talks that focused on the implementation of Greece’s pending commitments to its international creditors.
Emerging from the meeting, ministers told reporters that the government was on track to make good on its pledges but avoided giving details.
“The deadlines will be met properly and nothing has changed,” Administrative Reform Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. He said in-depth talks would be held on the progress of an overhaul of the civil service later this week.
Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis struck a similar tone, telling reporters that “we will be meet all our deadlines.”
Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras said the ministers discussed how they would “coordinate” to meet targets ahead of the scheduled return of the troika at the end of next month and said he was optimistic about commitments being met.
Asked whether Greece would seek debt relief in talks with the troika, Stournaras said such a demand would be based on Greece posting a primary surplus for 2013 and that would only be clear at the end of the year.
As for a possible government initiative to lift a moratorium on home repossessions and auctions, Stournaras said it was not discussed during the meeting.
Earlier Samaras reportedly said that the repossessions issue was “a significant one ” that he planned to “look at personally.”
