Die probleme Griechenlands als zehntes mitlied der Europäischen Gemeinschaften

Abstract

Greece became on January 1, 1981 the tenth member of the European
Community. Many economists and politicians discussed and overestimated
the difficulties Greece has to face in this connection. They did
not however consider sufficiently that Greece was already associated
with the European Economic Community since 1962, that the Greek
economy is an open economy since 1953 and that special facilities have
been granted her until 1987 independently of those foreseen by the
1957 Rome treaty in virtue of which the European Economic Community
was created. Of course Greece has to prove what it is entitled to
get in virtue of her special facilities foreseen and to persuade those
in charge of the Community. Let me mention in this connection also
the substantial payments Greece receives from the European Economic
Community either as grants or as loans from the European Investment
Bank. The greatest disadvantages for Greece but quite independently
of her participation in the European Economic Community are her
inflation rate which in the last ten years is at least the double of the
rate prevailing in the European Economic Community, its inefficient
bureaucracy and the labours’ rewards which exceed what would have
been appropriate in consideration of labours productivity in Greece
and in combination with frequent strikes.