The European Commission said on Monday a summit of European leaders would not have to be called to activate aid for Greece, but some kind of meeting would be required to secure unanimous eurozone backing. A German government spokesman said earlier on Monday that a summit of European leaders would be needed to trigger the aid mechanism agreed by eurozone finance ministers on Sunday.
Asked about this comment, European Commission spokesman Amadeu Tardio told a news briefing: "No We do not have to organise a big summit here in Brussels. As you saw yesterday, the euro group can activate itself in a very quick, effective ... way." "The activation of this programme requires a decision by the euro group by unanimity, so indeed formally requires a meeting in some format any time," he said.