On 13th July, euro area Heads of State and Government (HoSG) agreed that, subject to the Greek authorities implementing legislation in a number of policy areas over the next week or so, negotiations on an ESM programme of financial assistance can begin. This is a positive development and my hope is that the necessary legislation and measures can be adopted.
Having said that, my officials have contingency plans in place for a number of eventualities, including the possibility of Greece leaving the euro area.
It is important to stress that, at a euro area level, the institutional framework has been strengthened significantly in recent years, as is evident from the fact that the market reaction to recent developments has been relatively muted.