French and German leaders are meeting today with reports the pair will refuse to relax the terms of the Greek bailout agreement.
Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande are holding talks in Berlin before separate discussions with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras later this week.
Greece is asking for more time to implement spending cuts and financial reforms.
Senior German coalition leaders have signalled there is little chance of that and Merkel herself poured cold water on far-reaching concessions on Wednesday.
“I am going into these talks with the awareness that we have to achieve that every partner sticks to his commitments” Merkel told reporters.
The chancellor may also lean on the new French Socialist leader to set an example to the Eurozone by applying some austerity himself in the 2013 French budget debate next month.
Merkel receives Samaras on Friday and Hollande will meet with him on Saturday.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has attempted to dampen talk that it could come to the aid of Euro states like Spain and Italy by capping spreads on their bonds.
