Backbench rebels are likely to give Merkel a headache over Europe

Greece was due to exit its current bailout programme in August 2018 and key decisions on debt relief for the country were on the political agenda in Brussels in the spring of 2018.

Caroline Bhattacharya explained that with a reduced majority and potential dissent from members of her own party over the issue, German Chancellor Angela Merkel could face a challenging time in the Bundestag over the coming months.

Backbenchers in the Bundestag could yet determine the future of both Greece and the Eurozone. Future Bundestag debates on Greece’s exit from the bailout programme, debt relief for Greece, or debt mutualisation as part of wider Eurozone reforms, were expected to be heated and the government majority could be put in jeopardy.

• Primary Source

LSE European Institute: EuroppBlog, 25.06.18: Power is draining away from Chancellor Merkel http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2018/06/25/power-is-draining-away-from-chancellor-merkel/

LSE European Institute: EuroppBlog, 04.04.18: Greece’s clean exit: Politics vs economics (et al) http://www.europeansources.info/record/greeces-clean-exit-politics-vs-economics/

ESO: Key source: The Greek Debt Crisis http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-greek-debt-crisis-key-sources/

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