Greece wants lenders to lower its 2021 fiscal target to around 2 pct

Greece will comply with a 3.5 percent of gross domestic product primary budget surplus target agreed with its euro zone partners this year and next but will seek to lower the fiscal goal to near 2 percent in 2021, its government spokesman said on Thursday.
The country, which has been emerging from a huge, decade-long debt crisis, has agreed to achieve a surplus excluding debt servicing costs of 3.5 percent of gross domestic product until 2022 to help pay down loans by its euro zone partners. So far, it has been outperforming the annual targets.
Athens hopes to convince its international creditors to lower the target beyond 2020 after gaining credibility by implementing reforms, its newly elected conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said. That would allow him to fulfil promises of tax relief and a possible spending boost.
Government Spokesman Stelios...