HELSINKI, May 5 (Reuters) - Finland's finance minister said on Wednesday there was still a risk that Greece's financial problems could spread to Spain or Portugal.
"Our economies are so linked that a risk that problems spread from a country to another is very high," Finance Minister Jyrki Katainen said in an interview with Finnish broadcaster MTV3.
He said it was essential that Greece’s parliament approve a three-year austerity bill submitted by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou’s government.
In exchange for the cuts, Athens is to receive 110 billion euros ($146.5 billion) in support over three years from the European Union and International Monetary Fund.
"The markets have not calmed down…because they fear that national parliaments will not approve the package," Katainen said.
"The second risk is that Greece’s parliament will not approve the economy repair plan and the third is how strong are the other countries, that is, is there a risk of spreading even if loans were granted?" he added.
