Greece within 'Striking Distance' of Exiting Programme, WSJ Reports
"After years of economic and political turmoil, Greece is finally within striking distance of freeing itself from the bailout regime," according to an article in the US-based "Wall Street Journal" (WSJ), which noted that the country's creditors are aiming to complete the final review of the Greek programme by the end of May.
In May 5 article, the paper reported that Greek banks managed to 'pass' recent stress tests with satisfactory results, though noting that the government still has to deliver a number of reforms, including in the energy market and on its privatisation agenda, before the program can be completed.
The article cites Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at Eurasia Group, a consultancy, who said that Europe's strong political interest in Greece exiting the programme meant that "today’s results were never going to jeopardise the programme exit.”