The European Commission (EC) has urged eurozone governments to approve a package of loans to help Greece resolve its debt crisis.

欧盟委员会敦促欧元区各政府批准一揽子贷款协议以帮助希腊解决其债务危机。

Austerity measures have proved deeply unpopular in Greece

EC President Jose Manuel Barroso said action was needed now to help Greece reduce its high levels of debt.

He spoke¹ of a "system of co-ordinated bilateral² loans（双边贷款） " from European partners as the best way forward.

Greece has announced austerity measures（紧缩措施） , but eurozone partners have failed to agree on how best to help.

Germany in particular has been reluctant to（不情愿，勉强） come to Greece's aid.

Greece has not asked for any cash from European governments.

Spending cuts

"I urge all member states to agree as soon as possible on this [system of loans]. We cannot prolong（拖延，延长） any further the current situation," Mr Barroso said.

He made his appeal ahead of a summit of European leaders in Brussels next week.

Greece has one of the highest budget deficits⁴ in Europe, which is four times the ceiling（上限，天花板） set by European Union budget rules.

By spring, Greece must refinance a large chunk⁵ of that debt or risk defaulting on its loans, which would be a huge blow to the whole credibility of the eurozone economy.

The Greek government has announced a series of spending cuts and tax rises to reduce its deficit³ by billions of euros, but doubts remain about whether these will be enough.

Global stock markets have been affected⁶ by the crisis, and the euro has weakened because of it.

The cuts have proved deeply unpopular in Greece and have provoked（激起，挑衅） a number of protests.