BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece raised the stakes on Thursday in its quest for EU help to tackle its debt crisis, saying it cannot achieve promised deficit cuts if its borrowing costs remain so high and may have to call in the IMF. But Athens dismissed a report that it was planning to turn to the global lender as soon as ...

The European Commission said on Thursday it was "natural, logical and prudent" for Greece to keep all options open as Athens considers the possibility of going to the IMF. "It's natural that the (Greek) prime minister does not rule out any option," said Amadeu Tardio, spokesman for economic and monetary affairs, when asked about the possibility of Athens turning ...

The European Union accused its major powers on Wednesday of running away from bulging government deficits, after Germany warned that repeat eurozone offenders deserve expulsion from the bloc. EU budgetary watchdogs attacked overly "optimistic" growth assumptions masking bloated national budgets, with Britain firmly in the firing line over "uncertainty" in its spending plans. Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain were ...

Europe insisted Tuesday that a contingency plan to save Greece from bankruptcy with emergency loans was only prudent foresight and unlikely to be enacted, as Athens pushed for concrete details. As the eurozone tackled a government debt crisis that has exposed deep divisions, European Union partners made it clear that the 27-nation bloc sees any eventual aid as a necessary ...