Greece can stand on its own feet now, says European commissioner
Visits from the EU-IMF-European Central Bank troika are a thing of the past, Pierre Moscovici tells Greek legislators
Athens — Greece has turned a page and can stand on its own without financial help, European commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on Tuesday on his first visit to Athens since European lenders agreed to grant the country further debt relief. Greece has signed up to three international bail-outs since 2010, when its debt crisis broke out, in exchange for unpopular reforms and painful austerity. The third programme expires on August 20. "Greece can now stand on its own two feet," Moscovici, who is economic and financial affairs commissioner, told the Greek parliament. "The time has come for Greece to be a normal country." Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras wants Greece to rely on debt markets for its financing needs without any more external support, although some economists have said it would be wise to secure a precautionary credit line from the European Union or International Monetary Fund. The "troika" of mission chiefs from the EU, European Central Bank and IMF will no longer visit Athen...
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