Government finalizes Troika agenda

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Government Vice-President and coalition PASOK party leader, Evangelos Venizelos will hold a meeting tomorrow, Tuesday September 26th at the Maximos Mansion, to discuss details ahead of the Paris meeting.

The troika has been asked to present a detailed account of how the Greek adjustment program is progressing at the meeting of euro area finance ministers, before the representatives of Greece’s lenders return to Athens for the 5th review of its program, in mid-September.

Greece will be represented by Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis, Alternate Finance Minister Christos Staikouras, Deputy Finance Minister Giorgos Mavraganis, Labor Minister Yiannis Vroutsis, Administrative Reform Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Development Minister Nikos Dendias.

The government is hoping that it will be able to tie down its European partners to a specific timetable, as it wants its lenders to express their intentions regarding debt relief and whether they will push for a third memorandum of understanding, when the current one ends.

During talks, the Greek side will also attempt to get a response from the troika on the actions that it considers of vital importance for the September review to be completed. It is said that the government will present a list with all 600 prior actions, which however will be separated in vital and less important priorities, aiming to convince its lenders to proceed with the vital priorities and not insisting on the remaining “less important” ones.  Finally, the Greek side will discuss the issue of tax reductions with the Troika.