Greece says EU/IMF aid mechanism ready in month

Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said on Sunday (April 25th) that he expects the final terms of the EU/IMF aid package for his country to be ready by the end of May, and that this would be acceptable to all euro zone members. After a series of meetings in Washington with top monetary officials and finance ministers from around the world to discuss the 45 billion-euro aid mechanism, Papaconstantinou said he is happy with the package, and reiterated Greece would not leave the group of countries using the euro.

Meanwhile, protests against the government’s austerity measures continued in Greece on Monday. Ships in the port of Piraeus are going nowhere given the ongoing 24-hour strike by dock workers. On Tuesday, public transportation in Athens will grind to a halt between 11 am and 7 pm due to a strike in the sector. Employees want to be able to join a rally against the government’s austerity measures in the centre of Athens.