Nick Malkoutzis via Macropolis | A stale parliamentary debate that rarely stayed on topic seemed a good way to wrap up another disappointing political season in Greece. The country has been stuck in a deep, dark hole for almost a decade and now it has a chance for a change in fortune. But its decision makers will have to display much more vision, determination and mastery than was on display in Parliament on Monday.
Yiannis Mouzakis via Macropolis | Over the period of nine months that it took to complete the second programme review, the role of the International Monetary Fund as Alexis Tsipras’s strongest ally to secure debt relief was one of the many curved balls that the flew past the Greek prime minister.
Yiannis Mouzakis via Macropolis| From the beginning of the crisis, Greek debt has often been the elephant in the room. Over the last year it has taken on the form of an unsolvable equation as key decisions makers have taken positions that do not appear to overlap.
By Manos Giakoumis at MacroPolis | Following the European Central Bank’s governing council meeting on Thursday, Mario Draghi provided more detail about issues relating to the eligibility of Greek government bonds (GGBs) for the Quantitative Easing (QE) programme and reinstating the waiver on Greek government securities for ECB funding.
Conn M. Hallinan | On one level, the recent financial agreement between the European Union (EU) and Greece makes no sense. Not a single major economist thinks the $96 billion loan will allow Athens to repay its debts or get the economy moving anywhere but downward.
NICOSIA |By Marios Zachariadis via MacroPolis | Policies undertaken from a narrow national perspective that encourage systematic fiscal surpluses, coupled with a national consensus on wage suppression between unions and industry facilitated by the state, impact negatively upon domestic spending while increasing national saving.
MADRID | July 14, 2015 | By JP Marín Arrese | The Greek deal has dashed any hopes the eurozone might evolve into a more inclusive area.
BRUSSELS | July 7, 2015 | By Alexandre Mato | When euro leaders and their finance ministers meet with the Greek government later today for a fresh round of negotiations to agree on a new economic assistance programme, the debt issue will still be the mother of all battles. Over the last few days, some economists in Brussels have gathered together ideas for putting Hellenic public finances in order.
The Corner | June 25, 2015 | As EU finance ministers are meeting for a second scheduled summit today, European equities opened lower: markets are cautiously optimistic for a deal between Greece and its creditors.
MADRID | June 21, 2015 | By JP Marín Arrese | Bertrand Russell coined this famous phrase when the cold war nuclear escalation threatened the survival of the human race. A useful tip for intractable confrontations where sanguine sentiments lead conflicting sides to prefer collective ruin rather than reaching a compromise. The Greek imbroglio is a good example.