• Germany edition
Business & Money
Anti-austerity protester in Athens demands a 50 percent 'haircut' Photo: DPA

Berlin firmly against debt 'haircut' for Greece

Published: 26 Nov 12 12:36 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20121126-46393.html

Germany is hoping eurozone finance ministers can clinch a deal on unlocking vital funds for Greece later on Monday but strongly rules out accepting losses on its Greek debt holdings, a spokesman said.

"We are going into this meeting with the hope that a solution can be found to all outstanding questions," government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters at a regular news conference.

Later on Monday, eurozone ministers will attempt for the third time to clinch agreement on unfreezing a vital instalment of bailout aid worth about €31.2 billion as Greece stares again into the bankruptcy abyss.

But Seibert stressed again Berlin's opposition to a so-called "haircut" on Greece's debt - meaning that other eurozone governments and the European Central Bank would accept a write-down on the debt they currently hold.

"This official sector haircut is also not a topic for other countries in the eurozone. That's why the finance ministers will not be talking about it. It's also not a topic for the ECB," insisted Seibert.

Greece's private creditors have written off more than €100 billion in debt, and the IMF has urged the ECB, a public creditor, as well as other eurozone governments, to accept this solution.

With less than a year until elections, Germany is unwilling to take losses on its holdings of Greek debt and the ECB believes it is tantamount to monetary financing of a eurozone country - strictly forbidden by its founding treaty.

Seibert also pointed to legal complications."It is true that there are significant political objections to such a haircut. But above all, there are clear legal objections and not just in Germany," he said.

He noted that German budgetary law as well as EU laws stating that no country may bail out another stood in the way of a haircut.

Politically, he said that if Greece were granted a haircut, then other countries under an EU bailout programme might also want one.

AFP/jlb

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

14:44 November 26, 2012 by Berlin fuer alles
What loan shark ever does accept a debt reduction from their victim?
20:49 November 26, 2012 by axlathi
Germany needs to stop living in denial - one way or the other, fair or not, they're going to have to foot a good portion of the bill. But the fact of the matter is, Germany has benefitted hugely from the EU and the euro, not least because a large amount of the debt incurred by countries like Greece was spent on German goods, and paying to help the euro zone extricate itself from the crisis, and stop acting as a brake on the world economy (and therefore German exports) is ultimately an investment in Germany's own future prosperity, especially given that the PIGS have been forced to enact reforms that will make them much more productive and potentially successful economies and societies moving forward. Alas they have waited a little too long to also reap the PR benefits of being saving Europe in its moment of need, which would have been a nice change given its reputation in the first half of the last century.
23:50 November 26, 2012 by Berlin fuer alles
You are right axiathi but Germany is doing what any loan shark does. Cutting off some limbs of the poor debtor in order to extract what is owed is an age old practice of loan sharks. Greece's balls are in a jar and Germany insists on kicking them everytime Greece is slow to repay the unsustainable debt Germany persuaded it to take out. Common practice from common criminals masquerading as elected representatives.
14:45 November 28, 2012 by raandy
If they do not write the debt down and keep loaning only to allow Greece to restructure it's debt, then they are only kicking the proverbial can down the road.

Christine Lagrade has hit out at EU need to write off some of Greece's debt to make it manageable. This has put her at odds with Chancellor Merkel who is facing reelection this coming September.

I would assume after the election the Chancellor would be more in favor of the so called hair cut.
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Business & Money headlines
Photo: DPA

Car boss asks Merkel to rethink CO2 pledge

The president of the German Automobile Association (VDA) has written to Angela Merkel, asking her to retract her pledge to significantly reduce CO2 car emissions by 2025, it was reported on Tuesday. READ () »

Photo: DPA

SAP to hire hundreds of autistic IT experts

German tech company SAP said on Tuesday it wants to hire hundreds of people with autism to work as software testers and programmers. The search has, it said, begun for people “who think differently from others.” READ () »

Photo: DPA

Economists warn against German euro exit

While a third of Germans would rather pay with the old Deutsche mark than the euro, economists warn that a German exit from the currency union would result in a disaster. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Germany cool to France's EU economy plan

Germany said Friday that French President Francois Hollande's proposal for a eurozone economic government was "interesting" but reacted coolly to his call for strengthened European budgetary powers. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Au pairs rules relax for non-German families

Foreign families will soon be able to officially engage au pairs from outside the European Union, as long as they speak German at home, as the government prepares to change the law. READ () »

Wolfgang Schäuble and his French counterpart Pierre Moscovici. Photo: DPA

Germany refuses to slam French economic policy

Germany will not publicly criticize France over economic policy, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble insisted on Thursday, amid differences between Berlin and Paris over growth versus austerity in battling the eurozone debt crisis. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Capri-Sun drink wins false advertising award

A German food industry watchdog singled out drinks-maker Capri-Sun for its annual advertising "award" on Thursday, for what the group described as "shameless" marketing of sugary drinks to children. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Anaemic economy feels winter chill

The German economy, Europe's biggest, clocked up anaemic growth at the start of 2013 as the freezing winter weather put the brakes on activity, official data showed on Wednesday. READ () »

Photo: DPA

ThyssenKrupp bins 3,000 admin jobs

German heavy industry giant ThyssenKrupp said on Wednesday it plans to axe 3,000 administrative jobs worldwide as disastrous investments in steel operations overseas tore holes in its balance sheet in the second quarter. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Pay deal for metal workers averts strike

Germany's powerful union IG Metall agreed a pay deal with the metal industry's employers association early Wednesday, averting the threat of a major strike. READ () »

More Business & Money

See all ads | Join the Marketplace

Jobs in Germany, in English

858 jobs available
568 new jobs this week
0 new jobs today

ALL JOBS »

Latest Business & Money news from Sweden
News from the Goethe-Institut
News from DeutschlandOnline

Toytown Germany
Germany's English-speaking crowd
Trade CFDs with InterTrader.com
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!
Little house in Spain
'Charming, old, beamed cottage for holiday let in Jesus Pobre, Alicante, Spain
www.littlehouseinspain.com/
Albatross Insurance
Professional and qualified consultancy on all insurance and finance matters in Germany, Telephone: +49 2163 571 1740, Email: bg@albatross-assurance.com
www.albatross-assurance.com
Hotel reservations in Berlin
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
Rental apartments in Berlin
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.