PROCESSES OF MONETARY INTEGRATION – THE GREEK CRISIS AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE EUROPEAN UNION

Abstract

        Meeting of the convergence criteria adopted in the Maastricht Treaty allows to ensure the stability of the zone and to increase its position in the international arena. For this to happen, achieving of the required level of convergence must be long-term and based on sound evidence. Greece when it joined the Eurozone has much abused the trust of the European Union (EU) authorities when using false data it secured its place among the other holders of the Euro currency. The intention of the paper is to present basing on the example of Greece, the importance of compliance with the convergence criteria imposed by the European Union, and its purpose is to analyze the causes of the Greek crisis and its impact on the functioning of the Eurozone and the EU.