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I will only answer this part as it's the one that interests me (saw this reply now, after Tooting Karen bumped it):
Yes, you're absolutely right in here. Greece was much, much better off when it was outside of the EU. Fact. Before 1981, Greece experienced astromomical growth rates that averaged 9,3% from 1949 to 1981, with 8% for 1949 to 1960 , 13-15% for 1960 to 1974 and 5% from 1974 to 1981. Debt-to-GDP ratio was at 13%, an entire world apart from the 150% we have today. The state budgets and trade balances were always ending in surpluses or were evenly balanced. The inflation rate of the drachma was at 2%. And our GDP per capita back in 1980 had reached 14,5k euros, or in US dollars, 20.000 for the era. $20.000 for 1980 was ultra-developed country tier back then. We were at the same level as Austria, Germany, Sweden and Italy. We were in the top 15 in the world in terms of per capita income. And top 10 in individual wealth. All that before we even joined.
Our industry accounted for 60% of our GDP and we manufactured everything, from machinery and cars to all electrical appliances. Our agriculture was thriving back then and we exported most of it, as we had a surplus. The only groceries we imported was basically exotic fruits if anything.
But then, 1981 came and it all crashed down. Our growth rates instantly went down to zero or recessed, our industry diminished, our agriculture obliterated thanks to EU bans on state agricultural benefits that boosted local production and our income per capita remained stagnated and we no longer were at the same level as the countries I mentioned above. We would have to wait until the mid 1990s until we had growth again and reclaimed some of our status. But it would be needless, as social democrats from 1980 to 1993 increased our debt from 13% to 110+% of our GDP, and our state budget and trade balance surpluses became deficits. All of them from the mid 80s in fact.
So yeah, we basically sold our economy to the krauts in order to... "join Europe"... Yeah, like the EU represents Europe at all...
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