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As Cyprus scrambles to stave off a bankruptcy of its banks and a possible exit from the single currency, the Euro group has expressed readiness to discuss a new proposal regarding implementation of a €10 billion ($13 billion) bailout for Nicosia offered by the European Union and International Monetary Fund.
The new plan, which was offered here last night, is an alternative to the controversial bank levy proposed initially to raise up to €5.8 billion ($7.9 billion), a main condition to receive the bailout, which was overwhelmingly rejected by Cyprus Parliament on Tuesday.
The bank levy plan, which envisaged a one-off tax of 6.75 per cent on bank deposits between €20,000 and €100,000 and 9.9 per cent tax above that level, is now unlikely.
There will be no revised version of the tax in the new proposal, Parliament President Yiannakis Omirou was quoted as saying in media reports.
‘National solidarity fund’
A central element of the ‘Plan B’ is the setting up of a ‘national solidarity fund’, to raise the amount demanded by international donors by pooling resources from the island’s Orthodox Church, pension fund, wealthy citizens and foreign investors.
It will be used to recapitalise banks and to repay some of the government debts.
Rating downgrade
Meanwhile, rating agency Standard & Poor’s further downgraded the credit rating of the island nation to ‘CCC’ from ‘CCC+’, both junk status, in view of the likelihood of a bankruptcy.
President of the Euro group Jeroen Dijesselbloem said after an emergency conference call of the Euro zone finance ministers that the “group stands ready to discuss with the Cypriot authorities a draft new proposal, which it expects the Cypriot authorities to present as rapidly as possible’’.
Troika analysis
On the basis of an analysis of the situation by the ‘Troika’, the Euro group would be prepared to continue the negotiations on an adjustment programme, “while respecting the parameters defined earlier by the Euro group”, Dijesselbloem said in a statement after the conference call.
The Troika comprises experts from the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB).
Dijesselbloem sought to limit the damage to depositor confidence done by the finance ministers’ initial decision on Saturday to levy bank deposits up to €100,000 with a 6.75 per cent tax.
“The euro group reaffirms the importance of fully guaranteeing deposits below 100,000 euros in the EU,” the statement said.
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