Greece settles terms with EU to get $14B bailout for banks

Greece struck a deal with European creditors Tuesday on economic measures it needs to make to get its next batch of bailout money, including a €10 billion ($14.3 billion Cdn) cash injection for its crippled banks.

Though the government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had already made many of the reforms required by its third international bailout, it has balked at a few.

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Those included introducing a law that would have scrapped mortgage protections — and raised the prospect of mass evictions and property selloffs. Instead, a compromise appears to have been reached that will protect many in arrears on their mortgages.

Greece's left-wing government, which has abandoned its earlier promises to scrap budget austerity, has imposed drastic new tax hikes since reaching an agreement with lenders in July over a new bailout deal. The latest austerity measures also include road tax increases as well as tougher rules for tax settlements.

Talks on reducing debt burden

Pierre Moscovici, the European Union's top economy official, said Greece and the creditors had reached a deal on all outstanding issues, a development that also brings promised discussions on reducing Greece's debt burden one step nearer.

"I am happy to confirm that agreement has been reached on the remaining measures needed to complete the first set of milestones," he told a press briefing in Brussels.

"We expect finalization of the process to take place shortly following the swift adoption of necessary legislation by the Greek Parliament on Thursday," he added.

Once Greek lawmakers approve the measures, the institutions that oversee Greece's bailout program will assess Athens' compliance, paving the way for the payments.

"This is a good day," said Moscovici.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the eurozone's top official, was similarly upbeat, hailing the "good news" of a "substantive agreement."

The news of the breakthrough also helped lift the main Greek stock index, which was up 2.3 per cent in late-afternoon trading.

Mortgage protection scheme

In Athens, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos confirmed that legislation would be fast-tracked and voted on late Thursday. The key compromise made, he said, was on foreclosure law. Assistance for distressed mortgage holders will be maintained, though fewer people will qualify for foreclosure protection.

The mortgage protection scheme is expected to remain in effect for three years, by which time Greece and its creditors hope the economy will be steadily healing.

"It was a difficult negotiation that was held under a lot of time pressure," Tsakalotos said. "The pressing issue was the bank recapitalization ... We want banks that will not just keep their heads above water but will start giving loans."

With Tuesday's deal, Greece should get 2 billion euros in loans as well as 10 billion euros for its banks, which are reeling from limits on money transfers and another likely recession.

Healing the banks is perhaps the most pressing concern for Greece. The lenders remain badly hobbled by this year's crisis, which put the country on the brink of falling out of the euro. They need cash quickly so they can start operating normally, a necessary condition for any modern economy.

The scale of the problems facing Greek banks is most evident in the fact that the government is still limiting cash withdrawals to a mere €60 euros a day or €420 ($600 Cdn) a week. The limits were imposed in late June to head off a bank run.

Banks need cash 

Last month, the European Central Bank said Greece's banks need €14.4 billion ($20 billion) in fresh money to get back on their feet and resume normal business. The banks are unlikely to go back to business as usual immediately after the cash injection: limits on money transfers can take a long time — even years — to be lifted completely.

The sum that the banks will get is lower than many had anticipated. Up to €25 billion ($35.7 billion) was made available in the bailout program. As a result, the size of Greece's third bailout should turn out to be smaller than the €86 billion ($122 billion) envisioned in the summer.

Greece has relied on bailout funds from its eurozone partners and the International Monetary Fund since the spring of 2010 and is flirting with another recession.

Once the promised reforms have been passed and the bank recapitalization has taken place, discussions between Greece and its creditors can move on to how to lighten Greece's public debt load, which could rise to around 190 percent of gross domestic product.

Though creditors have ruled out outright cuts to Greece's debts, the country could get longer grace periods on its loans and lower interest rates.