ECB’s Coeure says ‘difficult’ to strike right balance on Greece

PARIS Finding a deal on Greece takes time because it is hard to strike the right balance between the new government’s plans and the euro zone’s rules, ECB executive board member Benoit Coeure said on Wednesday.

“We must find the right balance between two democratically legitimate things, the result of the Greek election and the euro zone rules … this is quite difficult with a new government that has a very different program. So it takes time,” Coeure told French lawmakers.

The ECB cannot finance the Greek government but can only help its banks, Coeure said.

(Reporting by Ingrid Melander and Michel Rose- Editing by Brian Love)