Europe

Greece tries to convince European creditors it's met targets

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, right, speaks with European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici, center, during a round table meeting of eurozone finance ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Monday, Dec 5, 2016. Eurozone finance ministers meet on Monday to assess the 19-member currency bloc's budgetary outlook for next year and Greece's progress on economic reforms. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) (The Associated Press)

Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, right, speaks with European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici during a round table meeting of eurozone finance ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Monday, Dec 5, 2016. Eurozone finance ministers meet on Monday to assess the 19-member currency bloc's budgetary outlook for next year and Greece's progress on economic reforms. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) (The Associated Press)

Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, right, walks by Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos during a round table meeting of eurozone finance ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Monday, Dec 5, 2016. Eurozone finance ministers meet on Monday to assess the 19-member currency bloc's budgetary outlook for next year and Greece's progress on economic reforms. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) (The Associated Press)

Greece's finance minister is trying to convince his counterparts in the 19-nation eurozone that his country has delivered on the reform promises made in return for the bailout money that saw off bankruptcy and a potential exit from the euro.

At a meeting in Brussels, Euclid Tsakalotos is looking to get his peers to wrap up the second review of Greece's third international bailout. That would trigger talks about possible debt relief for Greece.

The signs are that it may take a while longer. Though officials said progress had been made, they gave few signs that an agreement is in the offing Monday.

Pierre Moscovici, the EU's top economy official, said the two sides were "close" but that there were still a few issues to be addressed, without elaborating.