After tranche, government preparing for additional pre-election benefits

The government appeared to be preparing for another round of pre-election handouts on Wednesday after the European Commission indicated that Greece had honored most of its bailout-related commitments, paving the way for the release of around 1 billion euros in funding.

The final decision on the release of the tranche is to be made at a summit of eurozone finance ministers in Bucharest on Friday.
However, it is widely expected to be positive following the upbeat assessment of Wednesday's Euro Working Group and the Commission's observations which were set out in a report that also underlined certain concerns, particularly as relates to a new legal framework for the protection of overindebted borrowers.
In comments to Sto Kokkino Patra radio station, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos sought to strike a balance between following through on pledges to offer handouts...