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European Commission VP: Greek PM Move "Unnecessary and Unhelpful"

European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said the move by Alexis Tsipras to give a Christmas bonus to pensioners and decrease the Island VAT created a situation that was “unnecessary and unhelpful”.
The European official gave an interview to Kathimerini newspaper in which he criticized the benefits the Greek prime minister handed out without consulting with creditors first. His move generated a breach of trust within the euro zone. However, Dombrovskis said, the rift between Greece and lenders is “certainly bridgeable” and Greece’s bailout review can be wrapped up in the next few months.
Dombrovskis further said that the disagreements between the International Monetary Fund and European institutions on the Greek program can be resolved if there is a “constructive attitude from all sides.”
The EC vice president said that Tsipras’ move complicated things: “In the memorandum of understanding (MoU) it is very clear that there needs to be a discussion and an agreement with the program partners on measures that have a fiscal impact if Greece decides to implement them. Unfortunately these consultations had not taken place and we see that there has been a certain reaction from the program partners,” he said.
The assessment of the measures Tsipras announced will be discussed by members of the Eurogroup. “What I wish to emphasize is that this situation, although unnecessary and unhelpful, can be resolved if all sides show good will and cooperation,” Dombrovskis said.
And continued saying that even though Greece over-performed on fiscal targets and the measures were taken to protect weak social groups, “there is a certain way of doing things which unfortunately was not followed and has created some turbulence right now.”
When asked if the second review of the bailout program can be completed without the participation of the IMF and if member states have expressed concerns over the Fund’s non-participation in the program, Dombrovskis replied:
“This debate has been going on for quite some time. What I’m trying to say is that the differences between all sides – Greece, the EU and the IMF – may be smaller than what they appear from today’s headlines and there is a way to bridge the difference.”

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