Greece to repay €13bn debt early this year

Greece plans to repay about 13 billion euros ($15 billion) in debt ahead of schedule this year, the country's finance ministry said on Monday.

The ministry said the repayments would help reduce Greece's debt-to-GDP ratio to 137% this year and bring it below Italy's projected 138.6%. France is at about 118% among European Union countries.

The debts date from Greece's 2010 financial crisis. The latest early repayments include support measures due in 2027.

Greece's public debt currently stands at about 363 billion euros. Between 2019 and 2025, Greece made early loan repayments totalling about 36 billion euros.

The finance ministry aims to fully repay the loans by 2031 instead of 2041 as originally scheduled. It said the move would send another signal to institutions, rating agencies and international investors.

Greece ended a financial crisis that led to three international bailouts and austerity measures eight years ago. Its economy is projected to grow by 2% this year.