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While talking with its creditors, the Greek government tends to cling firmly to its ideas and plans. Its representatives emphasize that their main purpose is to achieve an initial agreement on a bridging scheme, which will cover the financial needs of the country until a final agreement with the European partners is worked out. Only then will the final Greek proposals be rolled out, government sources say.

Athens believes good results for both parties can only be achieved if enough time is allowed for negotiations. Unlike a new memorandum, the bridge programme does not contain conditions and assessments, but is instead an official expression of the will of all parties to negotiate without pressure and blackmail.

Once such an initial agreement is struck, Greece will put forward its final proposals. The latter will include a new framework for a strategy, incorporating the government’s financial targets for the next 3-4 years (surplus size, revenue versus expenditures structure, etc.). Greek budgets for the next four years will be based on this framework.

The government is preparing to introduce a new national reform plan including measures that previous governments of the memorandum did not dare, or did not want, to implement. The reforms will focus on tackling tax evasion and corruption, as well as on redesigning the public administration. This is how the government hopes to consolidate the links between the state and the economy and the state and society.

The Greek position is that the key condition in the bridge programme must be: no party shall resort to unilateral action.

Furthermore, given that Greece waived the other tranches of the acting bailout – apart from the €1.9 billion that the ECB and the member states’ central banks are due to return from the profits they made on Greek bonds (the SMP and ANFA programmes) – the Greek side believes it is entitled to issue treasury bonds beyond the €15 billion limit. This is how Greece will fund its way out of its emergency needs.

Justifying its position, Athens noted that a bridging programme "is not only an absolutely logical proposal, because it would be unreasonable to expect that a solution be practically found within a few days: it will cost partners nothing (i.e., it won't weigh European taxpayers down). "

Government reiterated that it "will remain true to the clear message voiced by the people, and will not accept the expansion of the disastrous memorandum, which leads nowhere."