Eurozone leaders remained divided on whether to grant Greece the next tranche of its rescue package after it missed key austerity measure targets. Here, Greece's Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras talks to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde (R) during an eurozone finance ministers meeting in Brussels 8 July 2013.Reuters
Eurozone leaders remained divided on whether to grant Greece the next tranche of its rescue package after it missed key austerity measure targets. Here, Greece's Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras talks to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde (R) during an eurozone finance ministers meeting in Brussels 8 July 2013.ReutersThe Troika – the International Monetary Fund, European Union and European Central Bank – ended up agreeing on drip feeding Greece billions of euros in aid but stopped short of granting the full €8.1bn amount. Leaders say that Greece has to prove that it can fulfil terms and conditions of its bailout agreement by axing more jobs and slashing public spending. Here, Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem shakes hands with Germany's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble (R) during last night’s eurozone finance ministers meeting in Brussels.ReutersA municipal worker breaks into tears outside the Interior Ministry during a rally against public sector reforms in Athens. The government has promised its international lenders to put 12,500 state workers into a "mobility scheme" by September, meaning they will be transferred or fired within a year.ReutersA municipal worker breaks into tears outside the Interior Ministry during a rally against public sector reforms in Athens. The government has promised its international lenders to put 12,500 state workers into a "mobility scheme" by September, meaning they will be transferred or fired within a year.ReutersScuffles broke out between students and riot police outside Athens University after police broke up a protest inside the institution. The number of jobless young people in Greece is the highest in Europe as over 60% of the country’s youth remain unemployed.ReutersMunicipal police officers stand outside the Interior Ministry during a rally against public sector reforms in order to stop brewing resentment against the government.ReutersThe number of protests has grown in Greece over the last two years as austerity measures are set to get stricter. The government is planning to also implement a highly unpopular property tax, which will only exacerbate anger amongst the public.ReutersA woman stands in front of a closed Citizen Service Centre (KEP) during a 24-hour nationwide strike by local government workers in Athens. The crisis-hit nation has agreed as part of its rescue package terms to cut 15,000 public sector jobs by the end of 2014. ERT's 2,900 employees were sacked on 12 June.ReutersPeople wait to receive food at a soup kitchen from a group called "O Allos Anthropos", or "The Fellow Man", in Athens. Under the austerity measures, pensioners have seen a 60% fall in their pensions - meaning their life savings are now less than half what they expected. Greece used to have one of the lowest suicide rates in the EU but since 2010, the number of people taking their own lives has increased by 40%, with a large proportion from the older generation.Reuters
Greece has secured €6.8bn in aid from its international lenders but it has to slash even more jobs and public spending in order to receive the rest of the cash.
With unemployment rates hitting all-time highs and public poverty spiralling out of control, IBTimes UK decided to take a look at the latest developments from down on the ground.
