The Greek Parliament [official website, in Greek] on Sunday approved the latest round of austerity measures necessary to secure European bailout funds. The measures, approved [WSJ report] by 153 of parliament’s 300 members, include raising sales tax and creating a state privatization fund. The vote comes just days before a eurozone meeting expected to approve the next round of bailout funds for the nation. Thousands gathered outside parliament Sunday to protest the measures.

The debt crisis [BBC timeline] in Greece began in 2009 with a down-grade of a credit rating, and in the following years, has led Greece to borrow hundreds of billions of euros. The Greek Parliament approved [JURIST report] a bill in February that provides health insurance and municipality jobs to poor Greek citizens affected by the country’s recent austerity measures. Last October Greek lawmakers approved [JURIST report] a bill containing new austerity measures and economic overhauls under its new bailout program. In April of last year the European Central Bank expressed concerns [JURIST report] about Greece’s draft law that prohibits the government from foreclosing on primary residences where borrowers can prove total wealth requirements as ripe for unscrupulous debtors to engage in strategic defaults without repercussions.