EU heads of government gathered in Brussels Thursday to discuss Greece’s bailout negotiations with its international creditors, as time is running out for the indebted country to avoid bankruptcy.
The Eurozone partners are expecting Greece’s leftist Syriza government to not roll back on austerity measures in exchange for extending the unpopular bailout program by four months.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel cast doubt on any deal being reached between Greece and the Eurogroup on Thursday.
"I want to say: don't expect a solution, don't expect a breakthrough. It's not the right setting," Merkel told reporters ahead of the meeting on Thursday. "Decisions are made in the Eurogroup and that's how it will remain."
The Eurogroup has said the bailout money would be spent on the recapitalization of banks, not for the Greek government's needs.
Greek lawmakers passed an anti-poverty bill – which offers food stamps and free electricity to the poor – on Thursday, a move that has flared tension between the indebted country and its international creditors.
"What shocks me is not that the Greek government is making an effort for the poor," French President Francois Hollande told reporters in Brussels ahead of the summit on Thursday. "What we ask of Greece is to make the richest people pay tax."
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said ahead of the meeting: "(The) European Union needs more political initiatives that respect both democracy and the treaties so that we leave behind (the) crisis and move toward growth."
