Breaking the cycle
It is a huge development that Greece managed to achieve such a high budget surplus, and especially in light of the economic pressures it continues to find itself under to this day.
That said, it needs to be noted that this over-performance was achieved thanks to overtaxation, to measures for cutting costs and to slashed expenditures.
This is a situation that is not sustainable in the long term because it leads to the complete asphyxiation of the economy.
What is needed now is a new deal between Athens, the country’s partners and its creditors, which, among other things, lowers the surplus targets in coming years. At the same time, the government needs to make a commitment to stop trying to cement its influence by offering handouts and positions.
Greece is trapped in a vicious cycle that has been caused by an absence of trust throughout the crisis, and this cycle must now be broken.