Juncker Sees Definite Decision on Greece at Nov. 20 Meeting

Bloomberg: Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Jean- Claude Juncker, who heads group of euro-area finance ministers, said he expects a definite decision on Greece at the finance chiefs’ meeting on Nov. 20.

“Greece has done a big part of what it was supposed to do, adopted an ambitious reform program and a budget for 2013 that is impressive,” Juncker told reporters in Brussels today. “A few more things have to be checked, because not everything that was promised to be done, has been done. But these are more minor things that can be tackled administratively and not legally. I expect that we’ll be able to take a definite decision about the disbursement of the next tranche at the Nov. 20 meeting.”

Juncker said he also expects a final decision on an extension of Greece’s deadlines at the meeting.

“We started today to discuss different options that could be considered,” Juncker said following a meeting of the finance ministers. “It makes no sense now to pick one or the other. What seems clear to me is that the public sector, meaning states themselves, won’t be called on to do this, but all the other options and possibilities remain open and that’s what we started to discuss today. And we’ll finish discussing this Nov. 20.”

reporter on this story: Stephanie Bodoni in Brussels