The Greek reforms list received the green light from the Eurozone finance ministers on Tuesday, February 24, but according to foreign media the situation will only get harder for Greece now that the country is required to implement its promises. Athens has not yet overcome the risk of a Grexit, noted several British newspapers, while the French Le Figaro wrote that Greece has finally given in to European pressure. The Financial Times noted that the measures proposed by the Greek government must be implemented immediately since the country is still facing the risk of exiting the Eurozone. Meanwhile, Bloomberg referred to the difficulties that Athens is likely to face in the next four months. The interim agreement was just the first obstacle in a long fight, argue the agency’s analysts. “Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble urged German lawmakers to back an extension of Greece’s aid program, party officials said, a vote that’s required for Europe’s formal approval,” wrote the American agency. In an article entitled “Doubts Shadow Deal to Extend Greek Bailout,” the Wall Street Journal stressed that the IMF and ECB are showing signs of doubt in regards to Greece’s four month bailout program extension, noting that this may help Greek banks but it is not a solution to the problem. “Greece has won a few weeks,” said a senior Finance Ministry official in Athens to WSJ, adding that the country needs to focus on collecting overdue taxes and fighting corruption. The relevant New York times article focuses on efforts that the Greek government will have to make in order to convince its partners, as well as party members and voters about the benefits of its decision. Furthermore, NYT quoted Mujtaba Rahman, a chief European analyst for the Eurasia Group, a research firm in London, who claims that “the Greek people do not yet understand the size of the U-turn” that the government has made. “The government is going to have to do 95 percent of what the last administration had to do.” Rahman also predicted that Greek Prime Minister Tsipras might need to reshuffle his government in order to receive access to further bailout money.
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