Eurozone ministers on Monday debate whether to unlock vital aid for Greece and sharply increase the firepower of their rescue chest as markets tumbled on news Athens will miss budget deficit targets.
Greek police stand guard during a student demonstration opposing educational reform and the austerity measures in central Athens in September 2011. The Athens government did nothing to improve the mood of investors when it announced Sunday that the budget deficit should drop to 8.5 percent of GDP in 2011 from 10.5 percent last year, short of an earlier target.
The 17 countries sharing the single currency gather from 1500 GMT to reach an understanding on whether Greece should get an eight-billion-euro loan, needed to pay next month's bills but blocked by the IMF for the past month.
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About the author
- Writer: AFP News agency
- Position: Agence France-Presse
