The Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visited Berlin on Monday and met German Chancellor Angela Merkel, media widely report, for what The Independent calls “a tense encounter dominated by Athens’ debt crisis and demands that Germany pay reparations for war crimes committed during the Nazi occupation of Greece.” The tension from the past few days – generated by the request Athens addressed to Berlin regarding WWII damages – loomed over the meeting, Adevarul further notes.
The two leaders’s willingness to cooperate possibly signals the beginning of a de-escalation phase, Corriere della Sera reports, echoing other, numerous, comments in European and US media. “Merkel and Tsipras settle fight – or act as if,” a HFD headline reads. Both sides tried to avoid everything that could cause tension, Kathimerini notes, while the INYT comments that the meeting was notable for the attempt by the two leaders to lower the temperature of the public sparring between Greece and Germany.
The meeting was “friendly, sober and relaxed,” ARD stresses. There is no alternative to dialogue to get over the remaining difficulties, L’Opinion reports. After an hour of talks, the two leaders indicated no breakthrough in resolving Greece’s debt troubles or its increasingly contentious negotiations with its European Union partners, who are demanding further policy overhauls before offering more money to Athens, the INYT sums up, stressing that talks are certain to continue for weeks.
The reform plans presented by Mr Tsipras in Berlin yesterday, Napi Gazdasag reports, are focusing on the following issues: combat tax evasion, tackle corruption, commit not to roll back the privatisations already introduced, reform public sector wages to avoid further wage cuts without increasing the overall wage bill, achieve pension savings by consolidating funds and eliminating incentives for early retirement.
By presenting concrete reforms, L’Opinion reports, Mr Tsipras hopes to get the final €7.2 billion tranche of aid. However, a German government spokesman stressed, as quoted by German and Croatian media, that Greece had a deal with the Eurogroup, not a bilateral financial aid deal with Germany.
Speaking at the European Parliament, ECB President Mario Draghi said he is confident that good faith in talks will restore the dialogue between the Greek government and European institutions, Libero reports. The ECB, however, hit back at claims that it was blackmailing Greece over its protracted bail-out arrangements, The Daily Telegraph notes, as do other sources such as Kathimerini and El Mundo. ©europeanunion2015
