BRUSSELS – The European Union on Friday warned that Greece’s already massive debt is growing much faster than forecast, putting pressure on the region’s finance chiefs to come up with new support for the country at their get-together next week.

Until a few days ago it looked as if the main objective of this month’s meeting of EU finance ministers was to sign off on a 78 billion euro ($111 billion) aid package for Portugal. But admissions that Greece’s 110 billion euro rescue plan is failing to restore investor confidence have brought the focus back on Athens.

Several EU officials have hinted in recent days that Greece may need a second bailout to plug financial shortfalls in 2012 and 2013, but stressed that any new help would only come in return for further austerity measures and economic reforms.

At their meetings on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels, EU finance ministers will be joined by Dominique Strauss Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund, which is responsible for one-third of Greece’s existing loan package.

His presence underlines the gravity of the Greek situation, coming just one week after the region’s financial heavyweights discussed the country’s problems in a secret meeting in Luxembourg. Strauss Kahn is already traveling to Berlin on Sunday to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose stance on potential aid will be crucial.

The EU’s monetary affairs commissioner, Olli Rehn, on Friday called the situation in Greece “very serious” and said the country needed to cut spending even further than foreseen in its bailout program.

Greece’s debt will reach 157.7 percent of economic output this year and jump to 166.1 percent in 2012, the European Commission, the EU’s executive, said in its biannual economic forecast. That’s up from 150.2 percent and 156 percent, respectively, that it predicted last fall.

The country’s budget deficit doesn’t look much better, reaching 9.5 percent of gross domestic product this year, about 2 percentage points above previous predictions and the targets set out in its bailout program. The shortfall is expected to remain high at 9.3 percent in 2012.


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