MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A day before the Greek prime minister's visit to Berlin, a senior member of the German ruling coalition toughened his stance on the Greek bailout program, urging Athens to show more commitment and warning of an EU "disaster."
On Monday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will travel to the German capital where he will meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Tsipras is expected to propose a new batch of reforms to secure another bailout tranche.
International money lenders will consider in April whether to give Athens another loan worth billions of euros, with a third aid package to be discussed in early summer.
"Greece will receive more aid only when it is fully prepared to solve its own problems. The public sector must be modernized. There should be a more efficient tax administration. Anti-corruption measures must be promptly introduced," Oppermann said.
The leftist government of Prime Minister Tsipras came to power in January with a promise to end austerity measures. Since then, the ruling party Syriza has been drafting a new reform plan that could help it ease bailout terms and save face.
"Greece's exit would be a disaster for Europe. It would be the biggest setback in the history of the European Union… a sign of dramatic weakness," the SPD chief whip said, adding that Greeks would be the first to suffer consequences.
Most Germans do not share this standpoint, a recent opinion poll has shown. A survey conducted by the Mannheim Research Group found last week that 52 percent of the population believes Greece should leave eurozone.
