Wednesday

6th Dec 2023

Greece clinches do-or-die bond-swap deal

  • 'Greece is only buying time with this and has to do its homework' (Photo: danoots)

The Greek government on Friday (9 March) said it has secured the voluntary participation of 85.8 percent of bondholders in a debt restructuring deal allowing it to avoid a messy default and to receive the second bail-out.

But forced losses to be imposed on some investors are still an issue to be discussed by eurozone finance ministers in a conference call later in the day.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"On behalf of the republic, I wish to express my appreciation to all of our creditors who have supported our ambitious program of reform and adjustment and who have shared the sacrifices of the Greek people in this historic endeavour," finance minister Evangelos Venizelos said in a press statement on Friday.

The tender for the bond-swap operation, aimed at slashing some €100 billion off Greece's debt, was closed on Thursday at 21.00h Brussels time. It saw 85.8 percent of mostly European banks and funds take up the offer for the new bonds, while 5.3 percent rejected them.

The participation rate is high enough for the so-called private sector involvement (PSI) operation to be deemed successful - a pre-condition for eurozone finance ministers to rubberstamp the €130 billion bail-out for Greece on Monday.

But the Greek government is now likely to impose losses on some other 10 percent of investors via 'collective action clauses' - a move which eurozone finance ministers will discuss in a conference call starting Friday at 14.00h Brussels time.

Meanwhile, in London, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (Isda) will convene to decide if the use of these retroactive clauses is considered a "credit event" - which would mean that investors who bought insurances against Greece defaulting would have the right to claim that money. Market estimates put the total amount of these 'credit default swaps' on Greek debt around €2.4 billion, DowJones reports.

The bond-swap news was greeted with sighs of relief on Friday morning, with Asian markets rising and Spanish and Italian borrowing costs on ten-year bonds diving below five percent.

French finance minister Francois Baroin told RTL radio that the PSI results were"good news" and "something that allows us to stay on a voluntary basis that avoids the risk of default."

But investors remain sceptical as to what will happen to Greece in the long run.

Michael Kemmer, general manager of German bank association BdB, told Bloomberg: "We can't think that Greece is saved and the crisis is over. This is an important step - the private sector showed solidarity. Despite all the justified happiness about this issue we have to note that Greece is only buying time with this and has to do its homework and pursue budget consolidation, savings and its privatisation programme."

EU experts to focus on tax-evading Greeks

Tax evasion remains one of the greatest challenges for experts tasked with helping Greece with administrative reform. Twelve member states are helping out.

Euro ministers to approve 2nd Greek bail-out

Eurozone finance ministers are on Monday to give final approval to the second Greek bail-out. But Spain's deficit problem is likely to weigh on the talks.

EU public procurement reform 'ineffective', find auditors

The EU Commission reformed procurement directives to make bids more attractive (and competitive), but the reform has failed, say auditors. Procedures now take longer, and the number of direct awards and individual tenders has increased over the past decade.

Opinion

Can Green Deal survive the 2024 European election?

Six months ahead of the EU elections, knocking an 'elitist' climate agenda is looking like a vote-winner to some. Saving the Green Deal and the EU's climate ambitions starts with listening to Europeans who are struggling to make ends meet.

Analysis

What are the big money debates at COP28 UN climate summit?

The most critical UN climate conference (COP28) ever will run from Thursday to mid-December — with talks on climate commitments and climate finance expected to determine the success of this year's summit.

Latest News

  1. Crunch talks seek breakthrough on EU asylum overhaul
  2. Polish truck protest at Ukraine border disrupts war supplies
  3. 'Green' banks lend most to polluters, reveals ECB
  4. Tense EU-China summit showdown unlikely to bear fruit
  5. A look to the past and the future of China-EU relations
  6. Tusk's difficult in-tray on Poland's judicial independence
  7. EU nears deal to fingerprint six year-old asylum seekers
  8. Orbán's Ukraine-veto threat escalates ahead of EU summit

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  3. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  4. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?
  5. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  6. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us