Europese Commissie roept EU-landen op tot akkoord over hulp aan Griekenland (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Two of the European Union's most senior officials have called on member states to agree on a financial aid plan for Greece when they meet in Brussels for a summit next week.
"It is essential that when we deal with a euro area country there is a European lead and a European responsibility," EU i economy commissioner Olli Rehn i said at a conference in Brussels on Friday (19 March).
"It is important that the EU in the course of next week comes to a more specific conclusion, specific political conclusion about the European framework for co-ordinated and conditional action, if needed and required," he told journalists afterwards.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso i appears set to go further on Saturday, indicating the EU is ready to provide financial aid to Greece if it is requested, according to a leaked transcript of an interview with French radio, seen by Dow Jones Newswires.
And despite recent suggestions that Germany is moving against the idea, Mr Barroso is set to include aid from Berlin in the potential package
"Germany is ready in case Greece needs it, and so far Greece has not asked for financial support," the commission president will tell radio channel France 24, according to the document.
All sides stress however that full implementation of the austerity measures announced by Athens in recent weeks is the best means to bring the country's borrowing costs down.
Roughly €20 billion in Greek bonds are due to mature before the end of May, with Athens indicating its unwillingness to keep offering highly expensive interest rates that threaten to create future refinancing problems down the line.
In the interview transcript however, Mr Barroso does not exclude the possibility of a financing role for the IMF i, insisting there would be no shame in this for Europe.
"What I want to remind is that Greece and all the member states of the EU are members of the IMF ... EU member states are by far the biggest source of revenue for the IMF," says the text.
"So it's not a question of prestige. It's a question of seeing what is the best way to respond to the situation," he is set to say.