ATHENS, Apr 1 (Xinhua): European finance ministers held an informal meeting of Eurogroup and ECOFIN here on Tuesday to discuss economic and social issues in Europe, including the finalisation of bailout deals with Greece.
The two-day meeting, scheduled to continue on Wednesday, touched on a list of key topics, such as economic outlook, growth prospect and financial stability in the area, the banking union, the framework for the European Banking System and social issues.
"We will talk today on the finalisation of the Greek programme ... We will decide on the further disbursements, what the size is, the timing, if further steps have to be taken," Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said in a statement.
Greece, currently the rotating president of the European Union, expects a positive message of support from its counterparts on the immediate disbursement of the next bailout instalment in the coming weeks, as its parliament's approval of the latest round of reforms early Monday paved the way for a positive statement.
"We see the Greek economy is now turning around and we are seeing there are better prospects for the economy and citizens," European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn said.
Under bailout deals since May 2010, Greece was granted multi-billion-euro rescue loans to avoid default in return for painful austerity and reform policies.
The long-term funding of enterprises is also on the agenda for discussion, as well as preparations for the upcoming spring conferences of the International Monetary Fund and its sister agency World Bank, and the G20 Finance Ministers meeting.
