World / Economy

Greece exits final bailout programme for debt crisis

12:03 pm on 20 August 2018

Greece has successfully exited its final three-year bailout programme to help it cope with the continued fallout from a debt crisis, the euro zone's ESM rescue fund says.

ESM's board of governors chairman Mario Centeno has announced greece's exit from its final bailout programme. Photo: AFP

The programme was agreed to in August 2015.

"Today we can safely conclude the ESM programme with no more follow-up rescue programmes as, for the first time since early 2010, Greece can stand on its own feet," Mario Centeno, the chairman of the ESM's board of governors, said in a statement.

"This was possible thanks to the extraordinary effort of the Greek people, the good cooperation with the current Greek government and the support of European partners through loans and debt relief," he said.

The ESM has disbursed €61.9 billion ($NZ106.7 billion) over three years in support of macroeconomic adjustment and bank recapitalisation.

A further €24.1 billion that was available to Athens under the programme was not needed, the fund said.

-Reuters