Athens is locked in tense talks with European leaders over the terms of a financial bailout that has kept the country afloat for five years, with big deadlines looming on June 30.
Athens points to the fact that its economy has shrunk by a quarter since the bailouts began as evidence that the cuts being asked of it are too harsh. Greece is also tied with Spain for having the highest youth unemployment rate in the eurozone – the bloc of 19 countries that use the euro. Over half of those under 25 are out of work.
On June 30, Greece has a deadline to repay a roughly $1.8 billion loan to the International Monetary Fund and its current rescue package expires on the same day. Athens and the eurozone leaders are therefore scrambling to make a deal before then, which would allow a final $8.2 billion chunk of bailout money to be released. You can read our longer explainer on the situation here.
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