Portugal exits from bailout on 17 May

Series Title
Series Details 05.05.14
Publication Date 05/05/2014
Content Type

Portugal's Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said on the 4 May 2014 that the country would exit its three-year €78bn bailout on 17 May 2014 without needing a standby line of credit.

This would make it the third eurozone country after Ireland and Spain to exit a bailout without a precautionary programme.

The Portuguese government formally notified the decision to a meeting of Eurogroup finance ministers on the 5 May 2014. The Eurogroup issued a statement supporting the Portuguese government's decision to exit its macroeconomic adjustment programme without successor arrangement in the evening of the 5 May 2014.

'The Portuguese authorities have established a strong track record of policy implementation to address the country's long-standing structural problems. This bodes well as Portugal exits its EU/IMF-supported programme,' IMF chief Christine Lagarde said in a statement.

In addition, the European Commission welcomed the move in a Statement from Vice President Kallas on the 17 May 2014. However, he warned that there was no room for complacency, as many challenges were still facing the country.

However, on the 30 May 2014 Portugal’s Constitutional Court rejected three out of four articles in Portugal's 2014 budget it had been asked to rule on. The government would have to find alternative ways of making budget cuts to satisfy the Troika.

Source Link http://www.euractiv.com/sections/euro-finance/portugal-exits-bailout-17-may-301903
Related Links
BBC News, 04.05.14: Portugal needs no more loans, says PM Passos Coelho http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27278983
ESO: Background information: Statement by the European Commission, ECB, and IMF on the Twelfth Review Mission to Portugal http://www.europeansources.info/record/memo-statement-by-the-european-commission-ecb-and-imf-on-the-twelfth-review-mission-to-portugal/
European Commission: DG Economic and Financial Times: Financial assistance in EU Member States: Portugal http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/assistance_eu_ms/portugal/index_en.htm
IMF: Portugal and the IMF http://www.imf.org/external/country/prt/index.htm
ESO: Background information: IMF: Portugal bailout to end in May / Portugal celebrates successful return to bond market http://www.europeansources.info/record/imf-portugal-bailout-to-end-in-may-portugal-celebrates-successful-return-to-bond-market/
Euronews, 05.03.14: Portugal is to exit its bailout programme without a credit safety net http://www.euronews.com/2014/05/05/portugal-is-to-exit-its-bailout-programme-without-a-credit-safety-net/
The New York Times, 04.05.14: Buoyed by Exports, Portugal Chooses Clean Exit From Bailout http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/05/business/international/portugal-prepares-to-leave-bailout-behind.html?_r=0
Portugal: Ministry of Finance http://www.portugal.gov.pt/en/the-ministries/ministry-of-finance.aspx
Portugal: Ministry of Finance: News, 04.05.14: Portugal sai com êxito do Programa de Assistência (in Portuguese) http://www.portugal.gov.pt/pt/mantenha-se-atualizado/20140504-fim-paef.aspx
Deutsche Welle, 05.05.14: Eurozone welcomes Portugal's exit from bailout program http://dw.de/p/1BtlY
European Commission: RAPID: STATEMENT/14/145: Statement by Vice-President Siim Kallas on Portugal's decision regarding programme exit http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-14-145_en.pdf
EUObserver, 05.05.14: Portugal announces 'clean exit' from EU-IMF bailout http://euobserver.com/economic/123999
EUObserver, 05.05.14: Portugal and Greece: the odd return to markets [Opinion] http://euobserver.com/opinion/123998
Jornal de Negócios, 05.05.14: Clean exit too risky for Portugal (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE142849-Clean-exit-too-risky-for-Portugal
European Commission: RAPID: STATEMENT/14/147: Statement by President Barroso on Portugal http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-14-147_en.htm
Eurogroup: Press Release, 05.05.14: Eurogroup statement on Portugal http://eurozone.europa.eu/newsroom/news/2014/05/eurogroup-statement-on-portugal/
European Commission: RAPID: STATEMENT/14/162: Statement by Vice President Kallas on Portugal http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-14-162_en.pdf
EurActiv, 19.05.14: Commission hails Portugal’s exit from bailout http://www.euractiv.com/sections/euro-finance/commission-hails-portugals-exit-bailout-302204
Público, 17.05.14: Portugal's clean exit no cause for celebration (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE143643-Portugal-s-clean-exit-no-cause-for-celebration
BBC News, 16.05.14: Portugal's economy: Two steps forward, one step back http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27432712
Deutsche Welle, 16.05.14: Portugal: Out of the bailout, out of the woods? http://dw.de/p/1C1FB
Público, 02.06.14: Celebrations came too early in Portugal (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE144386-Celebrations-came-too-early-in-Portugal
The Portugal News, 01.06.14: Constitutional Court tosses out Gov't budget items http://theportugalnews.com/news/constitutional-court-tosses-out-govt-budget-items/31768

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