Eurozone finance ministers have gathered again in Brussels today to discuss the Greek situation, butexpectations for a quick deal are low despite a fast-approaching deadline.
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and the chairman of the 19-nation Eurozone, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, declined to speak to reporters as they arrived at European Union headquarters in Brussels.
Optimism was curbed by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who said he's "very skeptical" that a solution can be found at the meeting in Brussels.
"Greecemust see that you can't keep living above your means and then keep making proposals for how others should pay even more," Schaeuble told Deutschlandfunk radio.
Athens wants a substantial easing in the terms of repayment of its 240 billion euros in rescue loans, which it has received from other countries that use the euro and the International Monetary Fund, as well as less budget austerity.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras wants to scrap the existing bailout deal and replace it with a new one. In the meantime, he wants a short-term "bridge agreement" that can keepGreecesolvent after Feb. 28, when the current bailout deals ends.
Germany's Schaeuble said Athens was in no position to make demands.
"I feel sorry for the Greeks," he added. "They've elected a government that's behaving pretty irresponsibly at the moment."
His comments came after technical talks in Brussels on Friday and Saturday, which an EU spokeswoman summarized as "an exchange of views."
European Economic and Financial Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici was more upbeat as he arrived for the meeting, saying he saw "the capacity to conclude positively."
In an Op-Ed in the New York Times Monday, Varoufakis saidGreeceis not looking to avoid paying its debts.
"We are asking for a few months of financial stability that will allow us to embark upon the task of reforms that the broad Greek population can own and support, so we can bring back growth and end our inability to pay our dues," he wrote.
Time is short. If no deal is reached by Feb. 28,Greece'sbanks could be cut off from affordable funding from the European Central Bank. A serious deterioration in Greek banks' finances could cause depositors to withdraw money, potentially causing a collapse in the banking system. Ultimately, that could force the government to leave the Eurozone — a move informally dubbed Grexit — so that it can print its own money and rescue its banks.
Any agreement with creditors will require approval by national parliaments inEurozone countries, which would add further delays.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/eurozone-meeting-low-expectations-greek-deal