Greek crisis: Germany and France await "credible and concrete proposals"

(Baonghean.vn) - In a brief press conference on the evening of July 6th at the Elysée Palace, the leaders of Germany and France finally reached a consensus after days of disagreement on the Greek crisis.

ECB President Mario Draghi agreed to continue maintaining the emergency payment mechanism for Greece.

In contrast to Berlin's uncompromising stance on Athens' case, Paris has consistently held hope of finding common ground. At a press conference on the evening of July 6th, President Hollande and Chancellor Merkel both reiterated that European "solidarity" must be accompanied by "responsibility." Currently, both French and German leaders are awaiting Athens to present "serious, sound, and credible" proposals.

President Hollande stated that time was running out and the situation was critical not only for Greece but also for Europe. Meanwhile, Chancellor Merkel also emphasized the need for a "response from the other 18 members" of the eurozone, stating that "this is a demonstration of democracy."

French President Hollande and German Chancellor Merkel met on the evening of July 6th at the Elysée Palace.

Also on July 6th, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced that he would present a new proposal to creditors at the European Summit on July 7th. Nineteen finance ministers from across Europe will discuss the Greek proposal at 1 PM in Brussels, Belgium, before making a final decision at 6 PM that same day.

On July 6th, the European Central Bank (ECB) also announced that it would continue to provide emergency payments to Greek banks. However, Greek banks stated that they would remain closed until July 8th. According to the head of the Greek Banking Federation, banks that have been inactive for the past eight days will remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. While Greek banks are temporarily closed, ATMs in Greece are still limited to a daily withdrawal of 60 euros per person.

Chu Thanh

(According to Le Monde)