(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, AUGUST 7 - September looks set to be a
hot month for the eurozone, with its 17 member states needing to
provide the markets with concrete answers to the problems of
Spain and Greece.
The EU Commission is currently examining Spain's long-term
budget which it has "received favourably"; it will look "in
detail" at the defict-reduction measures for 2013-2014 over the
coming weeks before giving an overall evaluation in October.
Madrid has still made no formal request for assistance, but
in a letter addressed to EU President Herman Van Rompuy on
August 3 Spanish Premier Mariano Rajoy - who on Monday spoke by
telephone with US President Barack Obama - asked for another
Eurogroup meeting of eurozone finance ministers to be convened
as soon as possible and called for the implementation of the
decisions taken at the EU summit in June.
The Eurogroup meeting could take place on 3 September when
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi will also be in
Brussels for a hearing at the Europarliament, but there has been
no official confirmation to date.
EU sources say another Eurogroup meeting would allow members
to "take stock of the situation" particularly concerning Greece
ahead of the visit to Athens by the Eurogroup President
Jean-Claude Juncker. In particular, they could evaluate the 11.5
billion euros package of measures agreed by the Greek government
and the country's three international creditors - EU, IMF and
ECB - in order to prepare the mandate for the so-called troika's
next mission in early September.
Meanwhile Athens has passed "ad hoc" legislation to
facilitate the necessary and long-awaited privatisations.
Separately, EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso is due to meet with the commissioners Olli Rehn, Michel Barnier and Joaquin Almunia, and possibly also Draghi, at the end of this month to finalise the legislative proposal for the creation of an EU banking union and a single supervisory mechanism linked to the possibility of direct recapitalisation for struggling banks from EU rescue funds. The Commission will probably present the proposal on September 11.(ANSAmed).
Separately, EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso is due to meet with the commissioners Olli Rehn, Michel Barnier and Joaquin Almunia, and possibly also Draghi, at the end of this month to finalise the legislative proposal for the creation of an EU banking union and a single supervisory mechanism linked to the possibility of direct recapitalisation for struggling banks from EU rescue funds. The Commission will probably present the proposal on September 11.(ANSAmed).
