At Monday's Eurogroup meeting in Brussels (May 5), Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras conveyed to his eurozone counterparts Greece’s request for a lightening of Greece’s debt burden. The Greek demand is based on Eurostat's ratification of the country's primary surplus for 2013, the country's successful return to international markets with a five-year bond and the European Commission's positive assessment on the Greek economic adjustment programme.

Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem congratulated Greece on achieving a primary surplus and confirmed that any necessary decisions regarding Greek debt assistance will not occur until after this summer, when the next review of the Greek economy will have been completed. He added that Greek authorities should not lose “momentum” in their reform efforts.

An official statement issued after the Eurogroup meeting pointed to the “remarkable adjustment efforts undertaken by Greek citizens and authorities,” which, “allows the Greek economy to enter a new phase, moving from stabilisation and recovery to sustainable growth.”

Finally, the Greek Finance minister presented to its Eurozone partners a new growth model for the Greek economy, called "Greece 2021". This plan is based on nine sectors: tourism, primary production-agricultural product processing, research-technology, energy, logistics/transport, metal industry-building materials, pharmaceuticals, commercial services and shipping.