Third Aid Package for Greece Only Hypothetical, Says Ansip
Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said that a third bailout package for the financially troubled Eurozone member Greece is not certain and any talk of amounts is premature.
Speaking in front of Parliament today, Ansip said that even the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, does not know whether a third package will be required or not.
Ansip said the next examination of Greece will be made at the end of this month, and ideas to move forward will be discussed in November.
“One solution would be to extend loan repayment deadlines, which would mean that additional funds would not be needed. We also need to bear in mind that Estonia would not grant any new loans, as that is the job of the ESM [European Stability Mechanism],” Ansip said.
Ansip said last week that Estonia is ready to help Greece, saying that it is more a question of defending Estonia than helping Greece.
Greece has so far received 240 billion euros in loans as part of two aid packages. Media reports put the size of the potential third bailout at 10 billion euros.
Estonia has so far paid 2 million euros into the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and 148.8 million euros to its heir, the ESM. Estonia was not part of the first bailout, in 2010, as it was not a member of the Eurozone.