ATHENS, Greece—Greece got a triple dose of good news on Thursday, when creditors agreed to open talks on a third bailout package, to give the country an interim loan to cover its debts, and to provide more support to its shuttered banks.
Greece’s fellow states in the 19-country eurozone said they were willing to open talks on a new rescue package worth 85 billion euros ($93 billion) over three years after Athens approved a series of tax hikes and economic reforms overnight.
The austerity bill triggered a revolt in the governing party and demonstrations in central Athens, one of which briefly turned violent, but was required by creditors as a precondition for starting bailout talks.
Because completing a new rescue deal is expected to take up to four weeks, Greece’s European creditors also agreed on interim financing in the meantime. European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker confirmed that an EU-wide bailout fund would give Greece a loan to cover it through mid-August.
