Greece agrees to third bailout deal

Image
IANS Athens
Last Updated : Aug 11 2015 | 3:57 PM IST

Greece on Tuesday agreed to a third bailout deal with its international creditors -- the European Commission, European Central Bank, European Stability Mechanism and the International Monetary Fund, a media report said.

Both sides reportedly agreed on the primary deficit of 2015 and surpluses of 2016 and 2017, while ruling out introducing any new measures in relation to achieving fiscal targets for 2015-2016, state-run To Vima daily reported.

The deal was concluded shortly after 8 a.m., following an 18-hour marathon session of negotiations between creditors and Greek government representatives including Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and Economy Minister Giorgos Stathakis, that began on Monday morning.

According to a government source, mutual compromises were made on the issues that had remained unresolved, namely the new privatisation fund, energy deregulation and non-performing loans.

The agreement also involved the government having to immediately implement 35 measures.

The measures demand changes in tonnage tax for shipping firms, reducing the prices of generic drugs, a review of the social welfare system, strengthening of the Financial Crimes Squad (SDOE), phasing out of early retirement, scrapping tax breaks for islands by the end of 2016, implementation of the product market reforms proposed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and de-regulating the energy market.

Also agreed was raising the value added tax (VAT) on private tutoring to 23 percent in order to offset a reduction in VAT on beef from 23 to 13 percent.

According to Greek daily Kathimerini, if the agreement is finalised, the Greek parliament would vote on it on Thursday.

This would be followed on Friday by the Eurogroup and other eurozone parliaments approving the deal.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 11 2015 | 3:48 PM IST

Next Story