Greece : The Debt And Government Benefit System

On January 1st 1981 Greece joined the European Communities ushering in a period of sustained growth. The countries widespread investments on infrastructure coupled with funds from the European Union led to a sharp increase in revenue from tourism and the service sector. This helped the country reach historical highs in their standard of living. By 2001 Greece had adopted the Euro and in the proceeding 7 years the GDP per capita went from $12,400 in 2001 to $31,700 in 2008, an increase of 156%. The Greek government was encouraged by the European Central Bank and other private banking institutions to

The Greek Government beloved that if they adopted the Euro that they then could use it as

Ever since Greece joined the Eurozone their economy has been falling apart. Greece was the last country to join in 2001. The euro replaced their modern currency of the drachma. Today Greece is still trying to fight to pull out of the deep and horrid debt they are in. Greece could become the first country to leave the Eurozone, due to its struggling economy and financial crisis, leaving the European Union in debt while helping Greece crawl out of their terrible nightmare.

The Golden Age of Greece is well known for its sculptures, buildings, rulers, and philosophies. Today, modern Greece is known for having economic crisis's as well as political turmoils. Greece's problems began when they joined the European Union. Greek drachma was officially replaced by the euro when they joined. Greece approved the euro in 2001, not knowing what they were getting in to. When the Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis came to power he realized that the budget deficit was not 1.5%, but 8.3%. That outstanding amount greatly hurt the economy. By 2008, Greece's tax collection crumpled and unemployment was at an all time high. Unfortunately, by 2014, 30% of Greek's population did not have a job (Greece Debt Crisis). In contrast, today's Greece is a complete different from the Golden Age. Greek unemployment soared as austerity took its toll.

Being unaware about issues on the other side of the world made me realize on intriguing economic debt crisis that is going on in countries that seem like they are holding together. Greece and the European was a great issue to discuss and view both sides before since I was unaware that there was a long going crisis going on in this side of the world. Greece can either get a so many bailouts repeatedly or they can fend for themselves to find how the country is able pay back the debt they owed the EU within the past years. In my opinion, I think that Greece should give the money from the EU to survive.

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

With an area of roughly 131,957 square kilometers, approximately 50,949 square miles (“Greece Facts,” n.d.), Greece has been a predominant part of European history. This beautiful, ancient country is well-known for their vibrant history and enchanting Greek mythology. Today, however, Greece is more known for their deepening economic crisis. The tumultuous economic issues began around World War II as a result of the German occupation of Greece. Problems escalated following the occupation as the country fell into a civil war. "Communist and government troops tore the country apart."(Buchanan, 2015). In 1949, the government found themselves victorious but left with an economically broken Greece. Though the country is currently enduring hardships, there is still much hope for the future.

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.

The Eurozone debt crisis has been and continues to be a hot button topic in the economic and financial world with Greece at its center. As the possibility of the first default by a country in modern history looms over Greece there are a multitude of questions to be answered. This paper will focus on the effect joining the euro had on the Greek current account deficit. Was there a deficit problem before Greece joined the Eurozone in 2001? How did Greece’s deficit change after joining the Eurozone?

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

As a country Greece always struggled with its finances. In the 1990s, it consistently ran significant budget deficits while using the Drachma (the former currency of Greece). Because of this, Greece joined the European Union in 2001 which was two years later than other nations. After joining the EU, Greece had a time of prosperity. This did not last too long as a financial crash occurred in 2008. This affected other countries in the EU, but Greece was hit the hardest. In the time before joining the EU, if a situation such as this occurred, Greece would print more currency, boosting the economy . However, since the Euro was controlled by the European Central Bank (ECB), this was not an option. Unemployment was soaring all over Greece. This was worse than the unemployment in the United States during the Great Depression . Most affected were the younger adult population. Besides from unemployment, Greece had an issue with uncollected tax receipts. Greece had more tax debts than any other country in the EU.

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

After the emergence of the Euro currency in January 1999, the currency became the replacement for the Euro currency unit as all the currency of the countries in the Eurozone ceased to exist. As a result of this, the countries affected began to run a parallel system whereby the old currencies used by the countries were still being maintained alongside the Euro. This change in currency even affected the pricing of commodities as there was dual pricing system where commodities were tagged with prices in Euro and the legacy currency of the particular country in question, the drachma being the case here as that was the legacy currency in Greek as at that time. Due to the reemergence of the Euro, the banks also reported its books on both currencies until the gradual change and full distribution of the currency round the affected countries. In a bid to phase off the legacy currency, merchants were receiving the legacy currency and in turn giving out the Euro as balance when people came to purchase items. The legacy currency was allowed to circulate for two months after which it was no longer allowed to be a legal tender.

Maastricht Treaty created the Euro. As per the treaty the economy deficit level of the country was already predetermined for those countries who were willing to enter euro zone. But Greece entered the European Union with a budget deficit that exceeded the allowed threshold. The Greek government borrowed heavily and went on spending after the adoption of Euro as their currency. Instead of reducing the spending and borrowing heavily it adopted unfair accounting practices to hide its true budget deficit.

Changing currency is a long and complex process that if not done carefully can have dire effects. A major hurdle in changing currency is associated with deposits and payments. Those who have bank accounts with domestic Greek banks would see their Euros change to Drachma. There would also be (and currently is) a limit on how many Euros an individual can withdraw. This ensures that bank runs do not take place, as this will mean a lower demand for the Drachma. Also, a potential topic of concern is regarding payments for loans and debt, these may be switched to the new currency. Which would be bad news for creditors as they would now have a currency that is likely to depreciate as an asset. The depreciating asset may lead the bank to become insolvent.