On the eve of a meeting held to be decisive of the Eurogroup, the anti-riot units of the Greek police were deployed around the parliament protection Sunday, where demonstrators denounced the austerity measures imposed in exchange for 130 billion euros of extra funding.
The hope that the ongoing discussions lead Monday at the meeting of finance ministers of the euro area in Brussels has revived since the government of Lucas Papademos has detailed this week further budget reductions, of around 335 million euros.
In total, the law of austerity passed by Parliament on Sunday and demanded by the "troika" of international creditors of Greece (EU, IMF and Central Bank European) provides € 3.3 billion of budget savings with the objective of bringing the sovereign debt of Greece from 160 to 120% of GDP by 2020.
But the camp of the "skeptics", led by Germany, is concerned about the Greek government commitment to reduce debt.
Sunday, only a few hundred people gathered early in the afternoon before the parliament. But a week after the scenes of riots that followed the adoption of this new austerity measures by the deputies, the Greek police is on alert.
"Maybe some people have been frightened by the riots of last week," said Costas Xenakis, a protester of 70 years which explains the low mobilization.
The retired state electricity company notes, however, that "the austerity measures hit really retired." "We can not sit and accept it," he adds.
Behind him, a banner demanding the cancellation of the "harmony of hunger", testimony of the anger felt by a large part of the Greek population vis-à-vis political representation, alleged to have allowed to accumulate mountains of debt and have favored the wealthiest through fiscal laxity.
Resentment may be expressed most strongly in the polls in parliamentary elections, expected in April.
A poll released Sunday, the Socialist Party (PASOK) and the conservative right New Democracy – the two political families dominating Greece since the end of the colonels' regime in 1974 – did meet between them only a quarter of the votes.
Another study highlights the concern of the population: while 73% of Greeks say they want to stay in the euro area, only 49% think the country will succeed in the next two years.
"ILLUSORY REQUIRE (…) WHAT HAPPENS BY 2020"
From Monday's meeting in Brussels will depend on aid payment of 130 billion euros needed to prevent Greece from falling into bankruptcy at maturity of 20 March, when a large debt repayments are scheduled.
"The Greek people did everything he could and we are determined to keep our commitments," said Christos Papoutsis, Minister of Public Safety, before an emergency meeting of the government.
For Maria Fekter, the Austrian Minister of Finance, it seems that an agreement is finally coming into place. "I do not think there is a majority to engage in any other way because another way would be extremely difficult and cost a lot lot of money," she said on Sunday antenna Austrian television.
But Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the Eurogroup, warned on the eve of the weekend there was still work to be done by Monday.
The preparatory contacts continued Sunday between finance officials of the euro area. The central challenge is to bring the Greek debt at a "more sustainable", the order of 120% of GDP by 2020.
Officials from EU and IMF consider that this objective – which requires that Greece is returning to a budget surplus next year – will not be required and, depending on the sce nario now dominant, the idea would be to reduce the deficit to 129% of GDP by that time.
"Today we speak of 129%, a figure that takes into account certain assumptions. This revision is due to poor growth figures, not only in Greece but throughout Europe, "says Pantelis Kapsis, spokesman for the Greek government, in an interview published Saturday by the daily franç ais Liberation
. "It is also unrealistic to predict with much accuracy what will happen by 2020" , says he
. In this new scenario, it may be necessary to obtain the extra mile sector Private
.