European Parliament President Martin Schulz said Wednesday that creditors have made offers to the Greek government that should result in an acceptable compromise on a bailout deal.
"This is a fair deal and I am optimistic that we will get it," Schulz told Huffington Post Spain of the creditors' proposals.
Sitting down with Editorial Director Montserrat Dominguez, the president spoke of hope for a solution even as the contentious talks seemed to inject his answers with a bitter subtext of criticism toward the Greek government.
"Whenever the ideological, radical people lead the debate it leads to nothing," Schulz said. "What we need are pragmatic solutions and not big debates."
Negotiations between Greece and its creditors have continued this week as the June 30 deadline for the nation to pay the International Monetary Fund 1.6 billion euros looms. Should the Greek government and the so-called troika of the IMF, the European Central Bank and the European Commission fail to reach a deal to unlock the bailout funds Greece needs, it would send the country into a default. If that happens, it could wreak havoc on the Greek economy and force an exit from the eurozone.
This week seemed to signal a breakthrough in the talks, as Greece offered a plan Monday for reforms in exchange for funds, which officials involved in the negotiations spoke of in positive terms. But on Wednesday concerns over a potential default were reignited after a new disagreement between Greek leaders and IMF over the latter's demands.
Schulz, a center-left German politician, previously criticized Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras for isolating his allies and lacking pragmatism in an interview with The Guardian last week.
Despite his pointed rhetoric toward Tsipras, Schulz also voiced some optimism during his talk with Huffington Post Spain.
"The Greek government presented a list of proposals -- late, but in my eyes not too late -- and therefore I hope that tomorrow we find a solution," said Schulz.
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