Commission's mission

The government has a mountain to climb to complete the prior actions required for a successful conclusion to this and next month's inspection by the country's creditors. The European Commission's list of pending actions ahead of the January 21 start of the creditor representatives' visit to Athens is strongly reminiscent of the bailout period.

The European Commission is, according to sources, examining an alternative scenario that would leave the pension cuts due in January open until April, in an effort to respond to government pressure to this end but without offering a definitive answer for the time being.

Negotiations about Greece's emergence from the bailout process this summer and the country's commitments to follow will begin next week in Athens, with the visit of European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici and the head of the Commission's mission to Greece, Declan Costello.