Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is expected to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of a European Union summit to be held in Brussels on Thursday, only a day ahead of the crucial meeting of Eurozone Finance Ministers that will assess the progress made by Athens in its reforms list. Athens has been tapping into the public money reserves in temporary transactions in what is seen by analysts as a clear sign of the country’s desperate need of fresh funds, amid the SYRIZA-led government’s attempt to convince international creditors to unlock further financial aid. Greece’s Deputy Finance Minister Dimitris Mardas defended the decision in a meeting with municipalities earlier today, characterizing it as “necessary to raise the liquidity of the Greek State.” On the other side, the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece (KEDE) called the Greek government to reverse its decision and announced it is determined to proceed to dynamic mobilizations and appeal directly to the Council of State to annul the decision. Three months after the January 25 elections and the Greek government is still trying to exit a dead-end reached in negotiations with its international creditors. Greece is hoping to secure some seven billion euros of further aid in order to avoid the risk of running out of cash, although creditors insist it should present a complete and revised list of economic reforms before they greenlight the disbursement of fresh funds.
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