Greek finance minister: It is “premature” to speculate about a third bailout
Greek finance minister Yannis Stournaras has said it is “premature” to speculate about the necessity or details of a third bailout for Greece, echoing comments made earlier by EU commissioner Olli Rehn.
Speaking to the Guardian, Stournaras said:
It's very early now to talk about an economic support package. For the next full year we have no additional need for money. All this speculation is premature. The EU money ends next July and that's when we'll have to judge the situation again. Nothing, absolutely nothing is certain yet.
When asked why German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble had restarted the debate on Greek aid ahead of German elections on 22 September, he replied “I don’t know”.
Stournaras' comments follow those of the European Commission’s head of economic and monetary affairs Olli Rehn, who said international lenders will “intensify” work on deciding whether or not Greece will need further aid from September onwards.
Rehn added that it is "premature to quote any figure" with regards to how much aid will be needed – although Stournaras himself has suggested it will be in the region of €10bn.
Stournaras maintained that the government’s aim now is to “approach” international capital markets, which it has been excluded from since 2010.
He avoided questions about the possibility of enforced losses in the public sector – although he said in a separate interview earlier this week that Greece will not accept any new austerity measures.