Greece is getting better, but still has a long way to go. That was the conclusion of Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who heads the eurozone finance ministers’ group, after he visited Athens.

Dijsselbloem said eurozone countries could discuss further debt relief for Greece next April if the government continues to meet the conditions of its recovery programme.

He also held out hope for a long-awaited exit from the country’s six-year recession: “I hear positive signals about the investment climate, business climate; and I think that hopefully, over the course of next year, we will once again see the start of economic recovery throughout the eurozone, but certainly also in Greece.”

As Dijsselbloem was in Athens Greek banks received the latest 7.2 billion installment of eurozone money to recapitalise them and save them from being completely nationalised.

That almost completes the payment of 50 billion euros promised from the European Financial Stability Facility rescue fund.