{
  "id": 1877658,
  "title": "Verschuldung: Griechenland will erneut frühzeitig Schulden tilgen",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/verschuldung-griechenland-will-erneut-fruhzeitig-schulden-tilgen",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-19T06:01:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/staatsverschuldung-griechenland-plant-erneut-eine-vorzeitige-schuldentilgung/100247812.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Greece plans to pre-pay 13 billion euros worth of debts and loans by the end of the year, according to the newspaper Kathimerini. This includes redeeming approximately 2.5 billion euros from the initial Greece bailout program of 2010, which was originally due to be repaid by 2041. Additionally, 2.2 billion euros will be used to repay a short-term government bond, and the stock of short-term government bonds is expected to decrease by 1.2 billion euros by the end of the year, as reported by the newspaper citing the Economy and Finance Ministry. By pre-paying these debts, Greece would save around 360 million euros in interest annually. This initiative is set to continue in the coming years. Earlier this year, Greece had already repaid loans totaling 6.9 billion euros before their due dates, also from the first bailout program. Such pre-payments have been a recurring feature of Greece's financial management in recent years. According to estimates by the Greek debt agency, the country's public debt is projected to drop to 137% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) this year, potentially pushing Greece to the bottom spot among countries with high debt levels in the Eurozone. Italy is expected to have a debt-to-GDP ratio of 138.6% in 2026, as reported by Italian broadcaster Rai News. During the Greek financial crisis between 2010 and 2018, the debt level reached as high as 180% of the economy, and Greece faced the threat of exiting the Euro. In response, European rescue mechanisms such as the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) were established to provide financial assistance to struggling Eurozone countries since October 2012. For more details, see: Greek Finance Minister aims to free his country from the debt trap More: August 17, 2026, 16:18 UTC.",
  "summary": "Mit der neuen Rückzahlung wird Athens Schuldenquote weiter sinken. Gibt das Land damit innerhalb der Eurozone den Spitzenplatz bei den Staatsschulden an Italien ab?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Handelsblatt",
        "title": "Verschuldung: Griechenland will erneut frühzeitig Schulden tilgen",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/verschuldung-griechenland-will-erneut-fruhzeitig-schulden-tilgen",
        "published": "2026-08-18T06:47:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}