Wolfgang Schaeuble

German police on Monday evacuated the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Berlin after a suspicious object was found in the mailroom, a party spokesman said.

The ratification of the fourth memorandum requires decisions and new political planning from everyone. The debt issue remains, though it's likely that some sort of solution will emerge in July. However, if the Germans, and particularly Wolfgang Schaeuble, scupper the deal, Greece's position in Europe will be put into jeopardy.

France's new President Emmanuel Macron secured backing on May 15 from key ally Chancellor Angela Merkel for his bid to shake up Europe, despite skepticism in Berlin over his proposed reforms.

Travelling to the German capital to meet the veteran leader in his first official trip abroad, Macron used the opportunity to call for a "historic reconstruction" of Europe.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will host Emmanuel Macron for talks in Berlin on Monday, a day after the new French president is due to take office, AFP reported.

The German leader had welcomed Macron's resounding election win on Sunday, saying he "carries the hopes of millions of French people and also many in Germany and across Europe".

The International Monetary Fund and eurozone government lenders need more time to reach an agreement on debt relief for Greece because the eurozone is still not sufficiently clear in its intentions, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said on Friday.

German Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has confirmed that the issue of Greece was discussed on the sidelines of a meeting of G7 finance ministers and central bankers in the Italian city of Bari.

"I expect a solution," Schaeuble said on Friday.
 

Structural reforms are key to membership of the euro area, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has said while defending his 2015 offer of a Greek euro "timeout."

"If a country does not want to leave [the euro], then it has to make structural reforms - like Greece has," Schaeuble said in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica published Thursday.

Greek trade unions marked May Day with a 24-hour nationwide strike and protests against looming new cuts demanded by the country's creditors in return for bailout cash.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is eyeing a compromise with the International Monetary Fund over Greek debt relief ahead of federal elections in September, Die Welt newspaper reported over the weekend.

According to the report, Schaeuble has asked ministry officials to outline a possible agreement with the Washington-based Fund on Greek debt restructuring.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was quoted in a newspaper interview on Sunday saying that Greece has made strong progress towards introducing reforms that could lead to the imminent release of further financial support.