OECD's Padoan:Greece Bondholder Participation Plan Not Working
By William Horobin
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
PARIS (Dow Jones)--The plan to involve the private sector in bailing out Greece isn't working and other mechanisms should be considered, the chief economist of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said.
"On the one hand [private sector involvement in Greece] is not attractive for the private sector and on the other hand we are discovering that it is very costly for Greece in the first place. Being so costly, it becomes less credible," Padoan told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview.
Talks with the private sector have dragged on longer than expected and investors holding only 75% of Greece's bonds have agreed to participate in the exchange deal crafted in July. The plan targeted 90% participation from bondholders and authorities have even had to change which bonds the offer applies to.
"We are seeing it's not working so maybe other mechanisms could be considered for Greece," Padoan said.
Yet he acknowledged that finding the right balance could be tricky as mechanisms that are less costly for the government are even less attractive for creditors.
As it stands, the plan is expected to slice EUR13.5 billion off Greece's total stock of EUR350 billion in public debt, according to the Institute for International Finance, a trade body of the world's leading banks and sponsor of the exchange proposal.
Padoan also raised concerns that Greece is slipping in meeting its objectives and may struggle to recover. The OECD considers that the Greek government can meet the terms of its bailout program if it sticks closely to its fiscal and other targets.
"But this requires impeccable implementation from the Greek government, and recently we have seen the Greek government is facing difficulties in going down that road," Padoan said. "That is why we are not yet at the end of the line as far as the Greek story is concerned."
Amid the uncertainty about how the debt crises faced by ailing euro-zone nations will unfold, Padoan said the currency bloc should take steps to recapitalize its banks and further increase the firepower of its bailout facility beyond the agreed EUR440 billion.
"Countries should deal with the need to recapitalize many banks," Padoan said. "It's not new, but it's come to the fore again in Europe because of the interaction between bank situations and the debt crisis."
As euro-zone leaders meeting July 21 agreed a new EUR109 billion bailout for Greece, including the private sector involvement, they also agreed to broaden the scope of the European Financial Stability Facility, enabling it to lend to governments to recapitalize banks. If the modifications get the necessary backing on national levels, the EFSF will also be able to act in a precautionary manner and buy bonds on the secondary market.
"We think it would be appropriate to have more resources" for the EFSF, Padoan said.
Still, Padoan said the euro remains an attractive currency, as demonstrated by the Swiss National Bank's move to set a cap for the Swiss franc's exchange rate against the euro.
"Frankly I think this move by the Swiss may signal more of that will come in the medium term from countries that want to join the euro or peg to the euro as an anchor [of stability]," Padoan said.
***
Pareri.