Bloomberg: Samaras "moves on the offensive"

Achieving a primary surplus, measures against the Golden Dawn and the "Irish example" are the helpers in the Greek government's efforts to secure further support from its partners/creditors and claim a third rescue package from Europe.

In this way, Bloomberg news agency encodes the weapons Antonis Samaras believes he has in an attempt to stabilize the government that is under pressure, according to the report, by the continued recession for the sixth year that is hitting the country and has led Greeks to a "high level of despair and rage."

According to Bloomberg, Samaras’ choice in this period is to "move on the offensive," both within the country and abroad, using the success in achieving a primary surplus within the initial timetable and the larger than the targeted budget cuts. But on a political level as well, the actions against the Golden Dawn are an argument Samaras will use to convince Greece’s partners to support his government, providing more assistance to the country, probably in the form of third bailout.

"Samaras is under constant pressure inside by the high level of hopelessness and anger of Greek people," Yannis Emmanouilides, Research Director of the European Policy Centre in Brussels commented on Bloomberg. "We need support from our European partners and at the same time show that Greeks are tough negotiators."

The Bloomberg article points out that Samaras has in his hands two advantages his predecessors did not have: a budget surplus a year earlier than planned and a meager increase in economic activity in 2014, for the first time since 2007.

The agency’s columnist adds that "the fiscal position of Greece is important because the finance ministers of the Eurozone had agreed last November to consider further measures and aid when Greece achieved a primary surplus." Beyond that the country still has a "trump card" since it assumes the EU presidency in January and will be at the helm of the EU when it will hold elections for the European Parliament in May 2014. Therefore all those concerned with European governance need a "strong presidency," as Ireland that was supported more "dynamically" from Greece and is headed towards getting rid of the Memorandum until next December.

However, in this whole scenario, there is the imponderable factor of the IMF, as before any decision is taken on a third bailout package for Greece there should be a decision to cover the financing gap in the country for 2014, which the Fund estimates at 4.4 billion euros.