In Brussels, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso welcomed the outcome of the vote, stressing that the renewal of the vote of confidence in the Greek government "removes an element of uncertainty from an already very difficult situation. That is good news for Greece and for the European Union as a whole".
He urged Prime Minister Papandreou and his government to focus all their efforts on building support in parliament for the ambitious series of fiscal measures and privatisations agreed with the troika.
"The approval of these measures next week will not only enable a rapid disbursement of the next tranche of financial assistance for Greece; it will also mark a big step in Greece's journey back towards sustainable public finances and a return to growth."
