Poul Thomsen

EU Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas underlined on Tuesday in Brussels that the European Commission expects that there will be a significant outcome in the negotiations between the Greek Government and the institutions by April 24.

Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, the man who ruined International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Christine Lagarde’s Easter, visited the IMF headquarters in Washington for a meeting at 6 p.m. on Sunday (1 a.m.

International Monetary Funds (IMF) Chief Christine Lagarde arrived at the IMF headquarters in Washington shortly before midnight (Greek Time) for her meeting with Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis. She is accompanied by Poul Thomsen, the IMF’s Director of the European Department.

Greece's finance minister met a senior International Monetary Fund official in Paris over the weekend, the new Greek government said on Wednesday, its first meeting with one of the country's major creditors since taking power last month.

 Precautionary program to consolidate Greece in markets and ease transition to post-bailout period

Following a first day of talks between Greece's new finance minister Gikas Hardouvelis and troika envoys on Thursday, the foreign inspectors were to meet on Friday with several other ministers for briefings on the progress of a series of economic reforms pledged by Athens in return for continued rescue loans.

By Katerina Sokou

Poul Thomsen, the head of the International Monetary Fund’s mission to Greece, expressed on Tuesday confidence that the Greek economy will begin to recover this year, as the impressive fiscal adjustment and market confidence are creating «a virtuous circle."

The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that Greece has made "significant progress" in repairing its economy, but warned it risked falling behind in reforms needed to make its massive national debt sustainable.

In a report, the IMF said Greek debt is expected to remain high "well into the next decade," peaking this year at an expected 174 percent of gross domestic product.