Euro-zone countries and the International Monetary Fund, seeking to halt a widening European debt crisis that has threatened the stability of the euro, agreed to extend Greece an unprecedented €110 billion ($147 billion) rescue in return for Draconian budget cuts.
Under the three-year agreement announced here late Sunday, Greece would receive €80 billion in loans from other euro-zone members and €30 billion from the IMF. The planned rescue is the largest ever attempted by the IMF and a first for the 16-member euro zone. It still requires final approval from national governments.
The bailout removes the worry that Greece won't meet its immediate funding needs—€8.5 billion in borrowings due May 19. But it introduces fresh questions, among them whether the country can bear the harsh budget-cutting measures that are the price of the aid.
The prospect of a rescue has been controversial in Europe. Some euro-zone countries, led by Germany, worried that a bailout would set a dangerous precedent by encouraging other members to flout the bloc's deficit and debt rules. A rival faction, led by France, favored speedy intervention, viewing the crisis as a moment of truth, both for the 11-year-old common currency and the broader European Union. The divide delayed action, which some critics say worsened the crisis by allowing it to spread to other countries, raising concerns about the cohesion of the euro zone.
Even with the austerity measures, Greece now projects that its debt, which last year stood at 115% of its gross domestic product, will surpass 140% by 2014 before it begins declining. That is worse than was believed even a few weeks ago. The budget cuts will slash the deficit from 13.6% of GDP last year to 8.1% this year. Economic output will fall 4% this year, Greece says.
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