Eurogroup Urges Greece To Speed Up Reform Talks To Unlock Aid

The Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers on Monday urged Greece to speed up talks with international creditors on an economic reform program, needed to unlock the next tranche of bailout money. Ahead of a meeting in Brussels, Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the Greek government needs to stop wasting time and crack on with the reform negotiations. His message was echoed by several other Eurogroup officials, including Malta's finance minister, Edward Scicluna, telling reporters that the Greek reform program "needs a lot of work". The Eurogroup discussed Greece for less than two hours at Monday's meeting, according to Reuters, and instead concluded that progress needs to be made now. Reuters also reported that there will be no joint Eurogroup statement on Greece, citing an EU official.