ATHENS, Greece — The European Union's new economy commissioner says Greece's bailout lenders are willing to discuss a request by Athens to ease strict budget targets that would help speed up the country's recovery. While visiting Athens Thursday, Paolo Gentiloni sai d discussions could begin as soon as next month to ease the targets that were imposed to ensure Greece continues with its cost-cutting reforms and repays rescue loans provided between 2010 and 2018 by other eurozone members and the International Monetary Fund. Gentiloni, who assumed office on Dec. 1, said the Commission was waiting for the results of an inspection into Greece's public finances carried out last month in conjuction with the European Central Bank, a eurozone bailout fund, and the IMF. "I think that there are all the (right) conditions to have a good report, and a good report could pave the way to decisions, and also to open the discussion about the possibility to change our targets on surplus," Gentiloni, a former Italian prime minister, told reporters in Athens.

Source: International New York Times February 06, 2020 15:33 UTC