Greece's new prime minister meets party leaders

[MindMover]

ATHENS, GREECE — Greece's newly installed caretaker prime minister conferred with party leaders Monday ahead of this week's European Union summit that's expected to focus on ways of kick starting economic growth across the continent.

Panagiotis Pikrammenos, a senior judge who has no power to make any binding decisions, held successive meetings with all party leaders as campaigning gets underway for the country's crucial June 17 elections.

The vote is seen as a choice on whether debt-stricken Greece stays in the euro. A May 6 poll produced no government and triggered a political crisis.

The vote was split between parties that insist the country lives up to its austerity pledges and continues to receive outside assistance to stave off bankruptcy, and those that want to revoke or revise them because they are too punishing.

Antonis Samaras, leader of the center-right New Democracy party, laid out the hope that the 17-country eurozone may soon back jointly issued bonds, despite another rejection by Germany. So-called eurobonds could be used to fund growth projects and spread risk around the eurozone. Germany has been unwilling to push the idea of eurobonds because they would likely raise its borrowing costs.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/greeces-new-prime-minister-meets-party-leaders-2367163.html

[PoliticAverse]

1. "and spread risk around the eurozone"

It's not about risk, it's about paying sufficient taxes for expenditures - something that Greece lacks the political will to do.