Schaeuble Pressed for Greek Debt Relief by German Election Rival
- Social Democrats’ Gabriel says Greece has done its part
- Time for creditors to step up, German foreign minister says
Wolfgang Schaeuble, Germany's finance minister, reacts before speaking during the B20 Summit in Berlin on May 2, 2017.
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Greece’s financial woes spilled over into the German election campaign, with Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel calling on the country’s creditors to get serious about debt relief.
Gabriel, a Social Democrat, said Greece has upheld its side of the bargain by passing the latest measures to meet bailout terms, meaning it’s time for creditors to end “political blockades” and flesh out plans for possible debt relief envisaged in 2018. That contrasts with guarded comments by Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, a Christian Democrat, who said euro-area finance ministers were discussing the matter on Monday in Brussels.