-
Advertisement
World

Greece will not need any more loans, declares PM

Greece will exit its EU-IMF bailout agreement as scheduled this year and will require no further loans, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said.

Reading Time:1 minute
Why you can trust SCMP
Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras. Photo: Reuters

Greece will exit its EU-IMF bailout agreement as scheduled this year and will require no further loans, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said.

"In 2014 we will make the big step to exit the loan agreement," Samaras said in a nationally televised address.

"In 2014 Greece will venture out to the markets again and start becoming a normal country.

Advertisement

"Greek debt will be officially declared viable, meaning there will be no need for new loans and new bailout agreements." Greece was first bailed out by the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank for €110 billion (HK$1.17 trillion) in 2010.

When that failed, taking Greece dangerously close to exiting the euro zone, the country got a second rescue in 2012 worth €130 billion plus a private sector debt write-off totalling more than €100 billion.

Advertisement

The second bailout is set to end in the middle of this year, and there is strong belief that Greece's weakened economy will require more EU-IMF assistance.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x