CCTV9英语新闻：Ireland to mark end of three-year bailout（在线收听）

Ireland’s government will mark the end of its three-year bailout Friday. The bailout, funded by the IMF, EU Commission, and European Central Bank will formally expire Sunday evening. It makes Ireland the first eurozone country to exit a stringent bailout program. The three bodies, known as the Troika, have conducted a total of 12 review missions, all declaring that Ireland’s implementation of the program is on track.

Last month, Ireland decided to exit the bailout on December the 15th, without the need to prearrange a new precautionary credit line from EU and IMF partners. Ireland has picked a consortium led by Britain’s Centrica for a 1.5 billion US dollar acquisition of the retail unit of its gas utility Bord Gais, seen as a major milestone as it prepares to complete the bailout.