European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker explained to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras what needs to be done urgently in order for Greece to avoid bankruptcy. In the two-hour meeting in Brussels, Juncker told Tsipras that Athens must present alternative measures to secure the 440 million euros in order to close the fiscal gap and reform security funds and labor laws. Regarding the fact that the International Monetary Fund group left the negotiations table because the differences with the Greek team could not be bridged, Juncker allegedly said that in order for Europe to release further aid funds, the IMF should be present. Therefore, the Greek government must show the IMF that it is willing to proceed with the required reforms. Juncker further said that the 1 percent primary surplus target for 2015 is non-negotiable and the Greek prime minister knew about it and had committed to it last week in front of several officials. According to sources close to the talks in Brussels, the EC president asked the Greek prime minister to reduce non papers and asked that Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis — who is not participating in negotiations — stops making statements that undermine the agreement. Juncker was referring to Varoufakis; statement in Greek parliament that the 1 percent primary surplus is unacceptable. Juncker advised Tsipras that all talks in Brussels should remain confidential. Regarding Greece’s request for a nine-month extension deal, the same sources from Brussels said that lenders could consider a three-month extension with funding from the financial Stability Fund, but only in exchange for measures that should be voted in all parliaments involved.
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