The European Central Bank said that emergency support to Greek banks will be increased - a first step toward helping the country's banks reopen.

The Greek banks have been closed since June 29, more than two weeks ago, since the ECB's governing council halted the credit flow due to concerns the banks would go broke and not pay the money back.

In a news conference following the regular policy meeting, ECB head Mario Draghi said they had agreed to increase that credit amount by €900 million over one week.

The decision came after the Greek parliament approved a bill of budget savings and economic reforms that the eurozone countries said was required to start talks on a new bailout programme worth about €85 billion over three years.

It was unclear when the Greek banks might reopen or when the country might be able to lift or ease limits on cash withdrawals and money transfers.

ATM withdrawals have been limited to €60 per person per day. Normal commerce is impossible as suppliers demand businesses pay cash they don't have.

Every day of delay makes Greece's recession worse, costs the government lost tax revenue, and increases the amount of money needed to rescue the government from bankruptcy.

Mr Draghi also re-stated that the ECB is willing to use all the stimulus measures at its disposal to prevent market turmoil from destabilising the economic recovery in the 19 eurozone countries.

Greece is less than two per cent of the economy of the eurozone, but earlier phases of the six-year-old Greek crisis created financial pressure for other indebted countries who found their market borrowing costs rising.

Greece's interior minister said the government is likely to call an early election in the autumn after losing support in parliament for an austerity law.

Nikos Voutsis said the left-wing government narrowly avoided collapse in the vote.

Mr Voutsis told Sto Kokkino radio that elections are "very likely" and that if they do not take place in September, then it would be October.

The austerity bill was approved with opposition party support, but the ruling Syriza party saw 38 of its 149 politicians defy prime minister Alexis Tsipras by either voting against or abstaining.

Mr Voutsis said the government could have collapsed if the number of dissenters had risen to 42 - that would have made it more difficult for Syriza to legislate.