Greece And The European Union

The Troika, made up of the International Monetary Fund, European Commissions and the European Central Bank have the most to lose in this debt crisis as they own 78% of Greek debt. With so much to lose we have seen European “bailout” agreements that mostly front the Greek government more money coupled with crippling austerity in an effort to “rebuild” the economy. Austerity discourages growth as it cuts the spending of the government who is by far the biggest spender in the economy. The effects of austerity can be devastating, but the true effects are often hidden beneath the messages we get from mainstream news sources. The stereotype of the Greek people as lazy and tax evading has desensitized the public and has made austerity seem like more of a sensible option. The media messages have made strict austerity measures seem justified and in effect have hegemozined the Greek people.

The country adopted the Euro in 2001, three years after many other EU countries had already done so, due to budget deficits the country was going through whilst under the drachma (Buchanan, 2015). As a result of their adoption of the Euro, they experienced a period of economic growth from 2001-2007, but many economists deemed it “unsustainable” due to the country taking out cheap loans through the EU (Buchanan, 2015). In 2008, when the global market crashed, Greece was unable to climb out of debt, as unlike in the past, where it could simply print more money, due to them being under the Euro, which is controlled by the European Central Bank, they were unable to do so. As a result, unemployment skyrocketed in the country, reaching heights of 25% (Buchanan, 2015). Following the beginning of the debt crisis, the number of terror incidents spiked from 18 in 2007 to 118 in 2009 (START, 2016a). As many domestic terror organizations in Greece are anti-capitalist, they likely blamed the foreign corporations and banks for the financial crisis and attacked their property as a result. When Greece was bailed out twice, once in 2010 and again in 2012, it unfortunately did not fix the problem as the money the country was given was simply turned around and used to pay off international debts rather than stimulate the economy (Buchanan, 2015). This failure to protect the investments of the Greek people may have led to another spike in incidents in 2013 (START,

The EU was created in the midst of a war in attempts to unite Europe under a common government. After 43 years of rebuilding foreign affairs, have their attempts made a positive impact on the modern Europe? Many argue that the EU takes a toll on country's sovereignty. They lack in allowing countries to be apart of the union, without masking the unique culture and diversity of that country. Despite the advantages of being apart of the EU, the disadvantages highly outweigh them in the areas of economic, independence and cultural identity.

The Greek people are suffering while trying to keep their jobs to pay for the rising taxes. With an unemployment rate of over 60%, the youth even have a difficult time finding jobs to help their families. Being unemployed is not only a rough situation to be in with no money is coming in, there is more to it, “The longer a person is unemployed, the less employable they become. Re-entering the workforce also becomes more difficult and more expensive.” (Rodgers 9). Not only that, but people in Greece lose their health insurance after being out of work for over 2 years. The unemployment factor is a big effect on the Greek people because of the

Ever since the end of 2009, Greece has been involved in a financial and economic crisis that has been record breaking and shattered world records in terms of its severity and worldwide effects. The Greek government, since the beginning of the crisis, has attempted to take several governmental measures to try and “stop the bleeding,” including economy policy changes, dramatic government spending and budget cuts and the implementation of new taxes for citizens. In addition to this, the government has tried to alter the perceptions of Greek government and economy by the rest of the world in an effort to appear both more liberal and more democratic. Greece has also been working to privatize many previous

A country who’s economy was devastated by the monetary exports demanded of them by the second world war, Greece has shown great financial fluctuation and vulnerability within the last 80 years, resulting in one of the most disputed economic records in the history of the European Union. Dubbed the ‘Greek Economic Miracle’, Greece showed great resilience throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, with credit to their superior food trade and shipping industry, continuing to produce high levels of economic growth in contrast to others that had also been affected by the war. With the Treaty of Accession (1979) entering into force on 1st January 1981, Greek’s commitment to the European Communities (European Union) proved pivotal regarding it’s controversial qualification into the Eurozone in 2000. Owing to this, in an attempt to recover the unstable foundations of its economy, Greece has since been subject to various regulations and measures of austerity, leaving what was once a highly commended country both financially and socially, in a deplorable state of desperation.

The roots of Greece’s economic problems extend deep down into the recesses of history. After the government dropped the drachma for the euro in 2001, the economy started to grow by an average of 4% annually, almost twice the European Union average. Interest rates were low, unemployment was dropping, and trade was at an all-time high. However, these promising indicators masked horrible fiscal governance, growing government debt and declining current account balances. Greece was banking on the rapid economic growth to build upwards on highly unstable foundations. In 2008, the inevitable happened – the Greek debt crisis.

According to the Central Intelligence Agency, located at the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula, including more than 2000 islands in the Aegean Sea and the Sea Ionic, with an area of 131,957 square kilometers and 11 million people, Greece, a European nation, exists, with a political parliamentary republican structure established since 1974 (CIA, 2014). Furthermore, and relevant to this analysis, more than half of Greece’s economic industry is concentrated in the metropolitan area of the capital, Athens, with activities dedicated in its majority to agriculture, tourism, construction, among others.

Today, the global economic crisis is centered around the struggles of the European Union to protect its very existence. At the start of its second decade of existence, the common currency form of the Euro, shared by 17 of the European Union's 27 member states, is imperiled by the threat that some of its struggling member might depart from the Eurozone. With a particular focus on Greece, which balanced the question of its status in the Eurozone over the course of its recent elections, the discussion here considers the possible consequences of a breakup of the Eurozone. By and large, the discussion will demonstrate that the consequences would be catastrophic for the global community as a whole.

In 1999, ten European nations joined together to create an economic and monetary union known as the Eurozone. Countries, such as Germany, have thrived with the euro but nations, like Greece, have deteriorated since its adoption of the euro in 2001. The Eurozone was created in 1999 and currently consists of eighteen European nations united under the European Central Bank and all use the euro. The Eurozone has a one point six percent inflation rate and an eleven point six percent unemployment rate in 2014. Greece joined the Eurozone in 2001 and was the poorest European Union member at the time with a two point six percent inflation rate3 (James, 2000). Greece had a long economic history before joining the Eurozone. The economy flourished from 1960 to 1970 with low inflation and modernization and industrialization occurring. The market crash in the late 1970’s led Greece into a state of recession that the nation is still struggling with. Military failures, the PASOK party and the introduction of the euro have further tarnished Greece’s economic stability. The nation struggles with lack of competitiveness, high deficit, and inflation. Greece has many options like bailouts, rescue packages, and PPP to help dig it out of this recession. The best option is to abandon the Eurozone and go back to the drachma. Greece’s inflation and deficit are increasing more and more and loans and bailouts have not worked in the past. Leaving the Eurozone will allow Greece to restructure and rebuild

The economic crisis of 2008 in New York had ripple effects around the world, causing deep structural problems within the European Union to crumble the economies of several countries. These countries, known as the PIGS, are made up of Portugal, Ireland, Greece, and Spain, and collectively hold most of the sovereign debt problems of the European Union. After fast growth early in the decade, these countries were spending too much money and not securing their own banking sectors with enough capital. Soon, the debt the PIGS owed caused massive problems throughout the EU, and Germany and France had to come to the rescue of these poorly managed countries. (Greek Crisis Timeline, 1) Now, in 2012, the issue has yet to be fully resolved. Greece is still sinking, and a massive bailout for Greece's banks is required. The debate is whether Germany should continue bailing out Greece and collecting interest on its loans, or whether Greece should try to separate itself from the broader European Union, in an attempt to manage its own finances and declare bankruptcy in order to save itself from crippling interest payments. Each path offers an escape from the present situation that Greece finds itself in, but only the path of bailout results in a harmonious European Union. If Greece fragments off from the EU, then the entire union is weakened as a result. I believe that Greece should accept the terms of the bailout that Germany has provided, and should undergo several years

Greece’s financial crisis has been in existence for almost two decades, and unfortunately is still widely unknown what has caused this prolonged catastrophe. The general population does not necessarily know that this economic crisis originates to a mistake made years ago, not due to the recession in 2008 that an abundance of countries around the world suffered. Greece intended to join the Eurozone, a group of European Union nations whose currency is the euro, in 1999. Initially, Greece was denied admittance due to its poor economic standing. After approximately three years, Greece was able to pose a fabrication of its own economic success, constituting a healthy economy, and meeting all financial goals that existed (Hahn). Once admitted into the Eurozone, Greece maintained the lie they initially had created in order to keep the euro as its currency. As anticipated, Greece’s budget deficit increased exponentially and soon led Greece into a recession, in which promulgated the truth of its economic stability. Greece is at fault for its own economic crisis and if it did not join the Eurozone, there is a large probability Greece would be an economically stable country.

GREXIT: The Real Possibility of Greece Exiting the Eurozone in light of the Legislative Elections

Although a commonly accepted view is that the hidden budget deficit in Greece is the beginning of the European sovereign debt crisis, the real causes of this economic crisis can be various. To reveal the whole event, a comprehensive review of the background is

The roots of Greece’s economic complications spread deep down into the recesses of history. In 2001, these deep rooted issues were forgotten and hid from the rest of the Eurozone after the government joined the Eurozone by dropping the Drachma and adopting the Euro. The initial adoption of euro by entering the Eurozone, Greece’s economy grew rapidly on average of 4% annually, a rate extremely alarming for the sure fact that it was twice the European Union average. On top their economy growing, interest rates were low, unemployment was dropping, and trade was at an all-time high. Outsiders would be led to believe that Greece entering the Eurozone was blessing, providing a needed shot in the arm to their Country’s economic wellbeing; however, these promising indicators masked horrible fiscal governance, growing government debt and declining current account balances.( EXPLAING CA ACCOUNT) Greece was banking on the rapid economic growth to build upwards on highly unstable foundations but were unable to grow as intended. In 2008, the dark day most were anticipating happened, the Greek Debt Crisis. Upon hearing word of the crisis, global financial markets went into a major panic on fears that the crisis would spread. It became a contagion that spread to other Eurozone members, with the most serious affected countries being those that were already having some economic troubles of their own Portugal, Italy, and