EU`s Moscovici says Commission wants Greece in heart of euro zone

ATHENS European Economic and Financial Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on Wednesday the EU Commission wants Greece in the heart of the euro zone and that some more effort is needed to wrap up a crucial review of bailout reforms.

In Athens to help close a review of Greek reforms which has dragged on for months, Moscovici said that Greece outperformed last year’s fiscal targets and could do the same this year and in 2018.

“In a few days we have a Eurogroup meeting on Feb. 20, a very important one, which could set the parameters of an agreement to conclude the review,” Moscovici told Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

“I believe that some effort is required from all sides, with a little more effort we can achieve it, we must achieve it,” he said.

Athens has been resisting additional budget cuts. Tsipras told Moscovici that it would be destructive to discuss more austerity measures and that an “alliance of logic” was needed to

reach a deal on the review.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou, writing by George Georgiopoulos)