EU Commission delays euro area report due to Greek referendum

[BRUSSELS] Worries about any potential impact on Sunday's Greek bailout referendum led the European Commission to postpone the publication of a technical report on the eurozone on Thursday.

The quarterly report on the euro area usually attracts little media attention but tensions over Greece's vote on a bailout deal led the Commission to delay publication to avoid any risk of interference, according to several officials at the Commission.

The latest edition includes chapters on the euro area services sector, the macroeconomic effects of oil price changes and business cycle synchronisation in the euro area.

Another recent edition contained a chapter on cross-border spillovers of financial shocks in the euro area.

The document is prepared by the economic and financial experts of the Commission, the EU's executive arm, and does not necessarily replicate the official positions of the political head of the institution.

It was due on Thursday, but it has been put on hold until at least until next week.

REUTERS