Whether Tsipras agreed to creditors demands for further austerity and reform measures is still open.Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has presented his proposals for a “final solution” to the debt crisis. He had explained his position on Sunday in phone calls with Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, said in a statement the government in Athens.
Frankfurter Allgemeine / Translation
In the morning Tsipras convened a cabinet meeting in Athens.
According to Greek media reports, it was all about possible concessions and red lines. Accordingly, the Greek Government is considering concessions in the dispute over early retirement:
Athens was willing to abolish the possibility of early retirement in 2016, which would bring annual savings of EUR 200 million, reported the Greek Sunday newspaper “To Vima” on its website .
However, the financiers insist to abolish the possibilities for early retirement immediately.
Even a reduction in military spending and higher corporate taxes would considered the paper reported without giving details. The Greek Government persisted but remains a haircut, the governments of the euro countries
The Eurozone countries so far categorically reject. In addition to the main points of debt and pension reform, Greece and creditors are still at odds on the VAT:
The Greek government has in principle already agreed a reform of VAT, however, is quarreled over tax rates.
Creditors want two rates: a flat-rate of 23 percent and a lower taxation of eleven percent on food, medicines and are important for the tourism industry Hotels.
Athens wants to mitigate social hardship: six percent on medicines, books and theater visits, eleven percent on food, energy, water, restaurants, hotels, newspapers, and a rate of 23 percent for the rest
According to Vima, the Greek government would be willing to raise the average rate of food and energy to 13 percent.
The day before there had been several hours of consultations demanded by the creditors for austerity measures by Athens.
Tsipras will travel Sunday evening to Brussels.
His main adviser, State Minister Nikos Pappas and Deputy Foreign Minister Euclid Tsakalotos are already in Brussels.
In Brussels on Monday afternoon Tsipras will first meet the finance minister; in the evening followed by the leaders of the 19 countries with the common currency.
If Athens and donors do not agree on the conditions for payment of outstanding grants of 7.2 billion euros, Greece threatens national bankruptcy within a few days.
Athens Press: “Rescue Greece”
The Greek press is meanwhile worried about the future of the country:
“Hours of agony (the agony) and the responsibility for the future of Greece,” headlines conservative newspaper “Kathimerini”.
Prime Minister Tsipras is faced with the ultimatum of creditors to accept more austerity measures or his country will go bankrupt.
In a commentary, the newspaper Tsipras recalls that he did not have the mandate from the people to lead Greece to withdraw from the euro zone.
The break with the creditors and the return to the old currency drachma would “be a national disaster,” said the paper.
“Rescue Greece,” leads the Athenians Sonntagszeitung the political center “To Vima”. In the background a Greek flag is printed.
Tsipras wearing “a historic responsibility”, in the next 24 hours will determine the fate of Greece, says the paper.
The tabloids also emphasize that the Greeks necessarily want to keep the euro, “agreement or adventure,” headlines the tabloid “Ethnos”.
And the tabloid “To Proto Thema” makes her hope to headline: “Greece will remain in the euro zone”.
Frankfurter Allgemeine / Translatiion
2015-06-21