Officials in Germany say expectations are low that a euro-zone meeting on Friday will yield an agreement with Greece that would allow the immediate release of urgently needed bailout funds.
Germany's finance ministry spokesman, Martin Jaeger, said Wednesday that finance ministers were heading to the meeting in the Latvian capital of Riga "with very limited expectations." He said the meeting would likely yield an interim assessment but not a full deal on the reforms Greece is expected to make.
Athens had agreed in February to produce a comprehensive package of reforms in order to unlock the final 7.2-billion-euro installment of the international bailout that has kept the country afloat since 2010. But little progress has been made, and Greece is perilously short of funds.
