After a short two-day break so the technical teams can prepare the ground work, negotiation talks between Greek officials and the representatives of the quartet institutions are again under way, with the Greek government hoping for an agreement before Easter.
The issues dividing the two sides remain largely unresolved as the proposal of the Greek government for closing the “fiscal gap” have been rejected as unsatisfactory.
Differences between European representatives and the IMF also remain unresolved, with the latter demanding deeper pension reforms and have also raised the issue of education.
If that’s not enough, the Eurogroup is also raising the issue of the de-politicization of public administration, apparently fully aware of the fact that the Syriza-led government has used the public sector since coming to power as a vehicle for the hiring of family members, friends, and close associates.
Indeed, the Syriza leadership has proved to be as unscrupulous and opportunistic as the leaders of the political parties that run Greece since the re-establishment of parliamentary democracy in 1974. Making false promises, outright lies, and using intimidation methods against opponents of the government have been the defining features of the Tsipras administration.
By bringing up the issue of the de-politicization of Greek public administration, the Eurogroup aims to turn into reality the sort of deep reforms that Greece’s creditors demand as part of the bailout agreement.
This is why the representatives of the institutions are not eager to reach an agreement as fast as the Greek government wishes. For them, forcing the Greek government to proceed with reforms across the economy and the public sector is the key issue, which means they are willing to wait until Greece bleeds to death.
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