Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem on Monday said Greece must achieve a "viable and credible" bailout exit after four years of EU-IMF rescue programmes and a deep economic crisis.
"There is a strong consensus on the fact that it has to be a sustainable exit and credible to all outside partners, however it is designed," said Dijsselbloem, who is also the Dutch finance minister, after a meeting of his eurozone colleagues.
"It has to be a prudent exit, which is what the Greek minister has said and I agree," he added.
After four years under an international rescue, Athens is eager to get free from the European Union and International Monetary Fund's tight budgetary and policy leash.
The EU and ECB part of the program expires in December, and only about 1.8 billion euros ($2.3 billion) remains to be disbursed from the massive second bailout of Athens that amounted to about 240 billion euros, including a 2012 debt writedown that brought panic to the markets.
Last month Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said he would forgo a new credit line, but on Friday he said his government was open to the possibility.
Dijsselbloem said a new credit arrangement was in the cards, but that whatever was decided would come with conditions, as with the bailouts.
"That is fact, not proposition," he said.