The three leaders seem to be together alone

The three political leaders seem to be walking together alone, with PM Antonis Samaras taking the responsibility for the package of measures and the general plan for remaining in the Eurozone.

Indicative of the lack of agreement is the fact that before Samaras’ meeting with Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday, August 22, and the tour in Berlin and Paris right after, there will not be a meeting of the 3 leaders, as leaked by Maximos mansion, thus invalidating the relevant information  that started during the past weekend.

But until the arrival of Juncker in our country, the package of measures for 11.5 billion euros that has caused friction between the leaders and the Finance minister will have been completed. While they will continue to support the government, Venizelos and Kouvelis show they do not identify with the prime minister, as they are under pressure from their own parties and also want to maintain room for communication maneuvers in view of the politically difficult September.

The measures for redundancy in the public sector, cuts in wages and pensions and the privatization of SOEs are the thorns in the discussions.

Samaras should be able to present the head of the Eurogroup with the package of measures and the plan for privatizations and a smaller public sector. A good meeting with Juncker will prepare the ground for the meetings with Merkel and Hollande. The PM's discussions will affect the Troika report, as they will return in late August, and will also shape the climate for the September Eurogroup to discuss the tranche of 31.5 billion euros. By then Samaras will have met with the director of ECB and the head of IMF.

The government's target is clear: "The country should stand upright within the euro as well, until the implementation of critical decisions about managing the debt crisis in the Eurozone. Samaras will take all necessary steps in consultation with the partners in order to restore confidence in the country, whatever the political cost at home." In his meetings he will describe the difficult situation within the country and request the extension of the fiscal adjustment program.