
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday asked that the European Parliament (EP) join the group of creditors overseeing the recently-approved bailout deal.
The request was made as eurozone finance ministers formally approved the first tranche of a new 86 billion euro ($95 billion) bailout for Greece that will allow Athens to meet a key loan repayment deadline on Thursday.
Tsipras outlined the request in a letter to the parliament's president, Martin Schulz.
"I request the direct and full involvement of the EP -- as the fifth actor in the context of the so-called creditors' quartet -- in the regular review process regarding the implementation of the loan agreement," he wrote.
The quartet of creditors includes the European Commission, the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Stability Mechanism (the EU's bailout fund).
"I deem it politically imperative that the sole European institution with direct popular mandate acts as the ultimate guarantor of democratic accountability and compatibility of economic policy in Europe," he added.
Such a role was part of the parliament's mandate, he wrote, quoting a regulation which referred to the oversight of economic and budgetary issues in member states that were "experiencing or threatened with serious difficulties with respect to their financial stability".
A Greek government source said that Tsipras had spoken by phone to Schultz on Wednesday and that the EP president had "positively welcomed the demand" saying such a demand had already been formulated by several political groupings within the parliament.
GMT 15:13 2018 Saturday ,20 January
US 'erred' in supporting WTO membership for China, RussiaGMT 17:22 2018 Thursday ,18 January
US industrial output in 2017 posts biggest gain since 2010GMT 17:12 2018 Thursday ,18 January
No more bonuses for Carillion bosses after UK collapseGMT 17:20 2018 Wednesday ,17 January
EU to remove Panama, South Korea from tax haven blacklistGMT 17:16 2018 Wednesday ,17 January
Citigroup reports steep Q4 losses tied to US tax reformGMT 17:11 2018 Wednesday ,17 January
Pressure rises on British govt over Carillion collapseGMT 17:52 2018 Monday ,15 January
Iran jetliner deal could take longer to complete, Airbus saysGMT 17:44 2018 Monday ,15 January
EU to remove Panama, Korea, UAE, 5 others from tax haven blacklist
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor