European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said in an interview with Bloomberg news agency on Monday that the negotiations between Greece and its creditors are very complicated and did not rule out the possibility of an emergency meeting of Eurozone Finance Ministers if needed.
Asked how close to an agreement we are, he said the technical negotiations are ongoing and will continue until the end of April, as it was agreed on February 20.
The next Eurogroup on April 24 will be a good opportunity to assess what has been done so far, he noted.
He admitted that more progress could have been made as lots of time “was wasted on irrelevant topics.”
Negotiations are speeding up, however time is running out and a lot of ground must be covered by April 20, when the two sides need to have agreed on the reforms list, he said.
Asked whether the April 24 Eurogroup to be held in Riga, Latvia, will approve the disbursal of the next tranche to Greece or an emergency meeting will have to take place, he responded that this will depend on the progress of the technical negotiations.
He reminded that Greece’s program was extended for four months and two have gone by, which means there is more time ahead. On the other hand, he noted, Greece is in a hurry as its cash position is getting difficult. In order to meet the timetable by the end of April, all sides, including Greece, should keep their commitments.
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