Agora
Posts in Greece
How Samaras backed himself and Greece into a corner over bailout exit
The line coming out of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s office at the end of May was that New Democracy did not lose the European Parliament elections despite receiving almost 4 percentage points less than SYRIZA. Together with PASOK, Samaras’s party had a bigger share of the vote than the opposition. The argument emanating from the government camp was that if the leftists couldn’t score a decisive victory at the tail end of the Greek depression, they would never achieve one.
Contributors: Nick Malkoutzis, Yiannis Mouzakis
Categories: Politics (407), Economy (341), Greece (519)
Greek banks may soon breathe sigh of relief on capital needs
Greek banks are always at the forefront of domestic market developments. Despite the strong rebound of 6.4 percent on Friday, their shares still recorded cumulative losses of 7.8 percent last week and 23.9 percent over the past three months. Concerns about the outcome of the upcoming comprehensive assessment European Central Bank are one of the key factors weighing on investors’ minds.
Contributor: Manos Giakoumis
Categories: Economy (341), Greece (519)
Greek crisis redux? Not exactly
This week's explosion of Greek bond spreads and collapse of stocks prompted many people to have a sense of déjà vu. Many editors and analysts jumped in to call the new turmoil a repeat of 2010, when the geometric growth of Greek sovereign bond yields almost brought Europe to its knees.
Contributor: Ilias Siakantaris
Categories: Europe (289), Politics (407), Economy (341), Greece (519)
Managing an orderly Greek exit from the memorandum
The narrative of how and when to exit the memorandum is currently at the heart of the discussion in Athens. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras insists that Greece does not require a third financial support programme from the troika of international creditors.
Contributor: Jens Bastian
Categories: Economy (341), Greece (519)
Greece's biggest problem? Society's lack of openness
I started writing my book, “The Thirteenth Labour of Hercules”, a couple of months after the June 2012 elections. In that nailbiting showdown, a bruised and battered electorate narrowly opted for the pro-bailout camp, headed by New Democracy, over the fiery, austerity-bashing rhetoric of SYRIZA. As has been confirmed by numerous key players since then, the formation of a coalition government willing to stay within the confines the Greek programme was not enough for some in Europe, who kept on pushing for Greece to be pushed out of the eurozone for weeks after.
Contributor: Yannis Palaiologos
Categories: Politics (407), Society (149), Greece (519)