preview

Greek Financial Crises And The European Crisis

Good Essays

One cannot understand the Greek Financial Crises and the general European Financial Crises without understanding the history of the European Union, the creation of the euro, and the Eurozone. The countries involved in the European Financial Crises were Spain, Portugal, Iceland, Ireland and Greece. The Maastricht Treaty created the European Union in 1993. The treaty gave citizenship to all people living in the 28 member countries. This treaty led to the creation of the Euro. In order to join the Eurozone, each member country must maintain sound fiscal policies. Essentially, each country must limit national debt to 60% of gross domestic product and limit annual budget deficits to a maximum of 3% of GDP. The main reason for the greater European Financial Crises and Greece 's crises was the country 's violated the treaty restrictions. Spain, Portugal, Iceland, Ireland and Greece were unable to maintain spending within these limits. Additionally, the European Union has a monetary union but does not have a fiscal union. Each member country maintains its own independent tax and spending policies. The absence of a common fiscal tax for every member country in the EU is the reason for the current crises. Greece joined the EU in January 1981. Most observers believe that Greece lied about its fiscal situation to join admission into the EU. For example, from 1995 to 2014, Greece had an average budget of 7% versus the 3% limit. By 1996, government debt was above 100% versus

Get Access