My interest was just academic at the time but I am 99% sure I read just about everyone and his mother knew Greeks were cooking the books to get in.

Worse, at the time of Greek entry to the eurozone, even the cooked numbers did not meet established guidelines.

There were political to include Greece in the euro zone... from gaining a strategic ally in the Balkans to hastening the adoption of the Euro in the Meditteranean (Italy and Portugal namely). That and just a general vision (however vague) of an United States of Europe.

Hmmm, what is it called when you give someone a loan under false pretences?

I think they did when they all joined the EU together and agreed to use a single currency. At the very least they are acting like they did.

ok, in the meanwhile we beat the ****** Germany and we're ready for the "Game of the Miserables" against Spain.

Seriously, I think that the main mistake of Europe itself is to try to bypass national sovranity in order to control economics. And, as someone said, the EU is one of the biggest mistake in European history, I'm not exaggerating. If the EU structure falls there'll be hard times, but every European country should fight for his own sovranity and his own money. If it's not for us, it'll be for our sons, but we have to do it, it's not possible to be governed by tecnocrats in 2012. I know it sounds strange after almost 20 yrs of Berlusconi in Italy, but I prefer any government elected by the people to any tecnocrat one, which has the only aim of helping banks (dunno if anyone know something about the loan that BCE gave to the banks, which, instead of helping enterprises, bought Italian and Spanish bonds with a yield of 4-7%)

Those technocrats are put in power (as sacrificial lambs) by your elected officials to save you from yourselves.

What benefits? They take office with great personal sacrifices.

Many of them will need bodyguards for rest of their lives.

All of them are costing themselves tremendous amount of financial EV and political capital taking these thankless jobs.

^^is this a level ?

yes they're either corrupt or dumb so that requires for a bodyguard.

Ugh no, EU parliamentarians get paid more then their national counterparts. They also don't pay national taxes. Van Rumpoy even gets paid more then POTUS does.

Slumcat you prolly believe that Aliens already visited earth too not?

Van Rumpoy wasn't what I had in mind when I hear "technocrat."

But even he could make a whole lot more money if he ever chose to work in the private sector instead.

Only now because of the connections he's made.

Even without the connections, he could make quite a bit more with his academic credentials alone.

i believe that ur prolly the one who doesn't live on earth, or at least has no common knowledge at all about history and politics.

Why would a technocrat (hes a technocrat remember?) apply his work and knowledge on such idiotic "plan" for saving the EU and the Euro.

How many times these guys have to rehearsal before going to the front of the cameras and meetings and dont stutter like some of them still do because they know they're not saying the true ? End the theatric bs already.

You should def go into politics, you talk a lot, know everything better but in reality you are just one stupid ****in idiot.

Not going to read this thread anymore, it`s more and more about consipiracy. You really think your country wouldve been better off without the Euro/EU? Keep dreaming buddy.