EU’s Juncker makes last-ditch offer to Greece to reach bailout agreement, sources claim

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker made a last-minute offer to Athens in a bid to reach a bailout agreement before the deadline expires today, European Union and Greek government sources said.

Under the offer, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras would have to send written acceptance by today, in time for an emergency meeting of the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers to be held and agree to campaign in favour of the bailout in the planned July 5 referendum.

However, there was little sign that Tsipras was prepared to drop his repeated rejections of the bailout offer, which he has dismissed as a “humiliation” for Greece.

A Greek government official said it listened with interest to what was being proposed but said: “Alexis Tsipras will vote ‘no’ on Sunday”.

Tsipras would have to send a written acceptance of the version of proposals from the lenders published on Sunday, with a pledge to campaign for them to be accepted in the planned July 5 referendum.

The offer published on Sunday incorporated a proposal from Greece that would set value-added tax rates on hotels at 13 per cent, rather than at 23 per cent as originally planned in the lenders proposals. It was not immediately clear whether there would be any additional changes.