NEWS

Varoufakis fuels confusion over reforms as Juncker questions his role

As Greece’s negotiations with its creditors enter the most critical phase, the country’s finance minister created fresh confusion on Tuesday with statements regarding possible tax reforms which were almost immediately revoked.

Meanwhile, fuelling speculation about how much longer Varoufakis can stay in the crucial post of finance minister, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker declared that he was “not helping the process.” “Mr Varoufakis is the finance minister of a country that has to confront huge problems and he doesn’t give the feeling that he knows that,” Juncker told the MNI news agency. Asked by the MNI reporter whether he trusted Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Juncker took 14 seconds to answer “yes” but said Tsipras was becoming “increasingly responsible.”

In the interview Juncker also presented his opinions on what concessions should be made from each side in the tough negotiations while saying it was imperative to achieve a deal that includes the International Monetary Fund, which is awaiting a 300-million-euro repayment from Greece next week.

Referring to proposed changes to the Greek value-added tax system that are under discussion, Juncker said these reforms must yield 1.8 billion euros, or 1 percent of gross domestic product, in order to narrow a fiscal gap. He said pension reform was also crucial, pointing to the large proportion of early retirements in Greece in particular, while suggesting that labor reforms – another sticking point – could be postponed until the fall.

The Brussels Group negotiations resume on Wednesday with a Euro Working Group teleconference expected to take place on Thursday.

In Athens, government sources said they expected a deal by the weekend so an emergency Eurogroup can be held next Tuesday. But confusion about the details such a deal would entail was deepened by Varoufakis. The minister told a press conference the government was considering introducing a “small” levy on ATM withdrawals. Two hours after the statement, his ministry said that the idea of taxing bank transactions had been proposed during negotiations but was withdrawn following “objections by the Finance Ministry.”

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