Frankfurt (MNI) – Germany’s Economy Minister Philip Roesler
Thursday rejected calls by Greece for more time to implement its
deficit-cutting program.
Trust in the euro can only be restored if everyone sticks to the
rules, Roesler told Germany’s Bild Zeitung. “This also means that
whoever does not meet firmly agreed reform requirements cannot expect
additional financial help,” he said.
“Nor does stretching out the timeframe, as requested by the Greek
government, help. This would undermine the credibility of the legal
framework,” the minister cautioned.
Greece’s Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has been campaigning for a
two-year extension, from 2014 to 2016, for his country to bring its
public deficit within the EU’s 3%-of-GDP limit.
“Let me be very clear: We are not asking for additional money. We
stick to our commitments and to meeting all requirements [of the bailout
program],” Samaras told Bild on Wednesday. “More time does not
automatically mean more money.”
–Frankfurt bureau tel.: +49-69-720142. Email: jtreeck@mni-news.com
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