"There won't be any definitive decisions today, but I think the general feeling is that we would like the next disbursement to done in the most efficient way possible"
- Jean-Claude Juncker, the chairman of euro zone finance ministers
Eurozone finance ministers are meeting today in Brussels to discuss whether to provide Greece with bailout funds or not. Greek government passed its new austerity budget for 2013 in order to meet the conditions of the next tranche of 31.5 billion euros of emergency loans from the "troika" to avoid bankruptcy. However, they have asked for extra time, saying the county will meet deficit-cutting targets only in 2016, two years more than initially expected.
"There won't be any definitive decisions today, but I think the general feeling is that we would like the next disbursement to done in the most efficient way possible," said Jean-Claude Juncker, the chairman of euro zone finance ministers.
"I'd like to see if Greece has fulfilled all its obligations and then I'd like to hear the (EU/IMF) troika report because it depends on the Greek government having found a solution with the troika, and I haven't read anything on that."
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index plunged 0.27 per cent to 269.53. Germany's DAX Index rose 0.07 per cent to 7,168.76, while France's CAC 40 Index fell 0.35 per cent to 3,411.65.
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