The Greek government-debt crisis began in 2009 and, as of November 2017, was still ongoing. During this period, many changes had occurred in Greece. The income of many Greeks has declined, levels of unemployment have increased, elections and resignations of politicians have altered the country's political landscape radically, the Greek parliament has passed many austerity bills, and protests have become common sights throughout the country.
Greece joined the European Communities (subsequently subsumed by the European Union) on 1 January 1981, ushering in a period of sustained growth. Widespread investments in industrial enterprises and heavy infrastructure, as well as funds from the European Union and growing revenues from tourism, shipping and a fast-growing service sector raised the country's standard of living to unprecedented levels. The country adopted the Euro in 2001 and over the next 7 years the country's GDP per capita more than doubled, from $13,070 in 2001 to $28,660 in 2008.[1] The Greek government, encouraged by the European Commission, European Central Bank, private banking institutions, and the Greek business community also took out loans to pay Greek and foreign infrastructure companies for a wide variety of infrastructure projects such as those related to the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.[2][failed verification] Government deficits were also consistently underreported.[3] As the Financial crisis of 2007–08 began to affect Greece's economy, the country's GDP stagnated between 2008 and 2010 and the government's capacity to repay its creditors was drastically reduced.
4 October 2009 – The centre-left PASOK wins the Greek legislative elections. The party received 43.92% of the popular vote and 160 of 300 parliamentary seats.[4]
9 February 2010 – The First austerity package is passed by the Greek parliament. Measures include: a freeze in the salaries of all government employees, a 10% cut in bonuses, and cuts in overtime workers.[10]
3 March 2010 – The Second austerity package is passed by the Greek parliament. Measures include: a freeze in pensions; an increase in VAT from 19% to 21%; rises in taxes on fuel, cigarettes, and alcohol; rises in taxes on luxury goods; and cuts in public sector pay.[11][12]
2 May 2010 – The IMF, Greek Prime Minister Papandreou, and other eurozone leaders agree to the First bailout package for €110 billion ($143 billion) over 3 years. The Third austerity package is announced by the Greek government.[14]
5 May 2010 – Greece-wide riots and popular revolt break out as Greece turns violent. There is a 48-hour nationwide strike and demonstrations in two major cities. Three people are killed when a group of masked people throw petrol bombs in a Marfin Egnatia Bank branch on Stadiou street.[15]
7 July 2010 – The Greek parliament passes pension reform, a key requirement of the EU and IMF.[18][19] Measures include: increasing retirement age from 60 to 65 for women. The reforms cut prospective payments from 25% of GDP by 2050.[20] Additional pension reforms come in November 2012.[19]
15 December 2010 – The Greek parliament passes a new law regarding state-owned companies. The law sets a cap on monthly wages and introduces 10% cuts on salaries above €1,800.[21]
23 December 2010 – The Greek parliament approves the 2011 austerity budget.[22]
21 January 2010 – The Greek/German 10-year debt yield spread surpasses 300 basis points (the interest rate in Greece was 3% above that in Germany).[23][24]
9 April 2010 – Greece's credit rating is downgraded by Fitch from BBB+ to BBB−.[25]
22 April 2010 – Greece's credit rating is downgraded by Moody's from A2 to A3.[26]
27 April 2010 – Greece's credit rating is downgraded by Standard & Poor's below investment grade to junk bond status.[27] Standard & Poor's is the last of the Big Three credit ratings agencies to downgrade Greece's credit rating in April 2010.
28 April 2010 – The Greek/German 10-year debt yield spread surpasses 1000 basis points (the interest rate in Greece was 10% above that in Germany).[24][28]
14 June 2010 – Greece's credit rating is downgraded by Moody's from A3 to Ba1.[29] The downgrade follows a previous downgrade on 27 April 2010.[27]
25 May 2011 – The Greek Indignant Citizens Movement (also known as the Square Movement) starts daily protests. It is inspired by a similar movement in Spain.[30]
17 June 2011 – The prime minister makes a broad cabinet reshuffle and Evangelos Venizelos assumes the position of finance minister.[31][32]
29 June 2011 – The Fourth austerity package is passed by the Greek parliament despite protests outside the parliament building. The two-day demonstrations against the bill turn violent as protesters clash with police in front of the Greek parliament and other areas of central Athens. The measures in the austerity package include new taxes and new cuts of workers' wages.[33][34][35]
11 September 2011 – The Greek parliament imposes a new property tax to be collected through the electricity bill.[36]
20 October 2011 – The Fifth austerity package is passed by the Greek parliament, amid protests and violent rioting outside the parliament building.[37][38]
27 October 2011 – The investors agree to a "haircut" of 50% in converting their existing bonds into new loans.[39]
28 October 2011 – An anti-austerity protest in Thessaloniki forces the cancellation of a commemoration parade for a national holiday. Similar incidents occur in several other Greek cities.[40][41]
31 October 2011 – Greek Prime Minister Papandreou calls for a confidence vote and a referendum to approve the EU summit deal from the previous week regarding the Greek debt haircut.[42]
4 November 2011 – Papandreou wins the confidence vote 153–145.[43]
6 November 2011 – Prime Minister Papandreou resigns.[44]
10 November 2011 – Lucas Papademos becomes the new Greek Prime Minister, as the leader of a coalition government consisting of the PASOK, New Democracy, and LAOS parties.[45]
12 February 2012 – The Sixth austerity package is passed by the Greek parliament amid violent protests. Many buildings in the centre of Athens are burned during the riots.[58][59]
21 February 2012 – The Second bailout package is finalized. It brings the total amount of eurozone and IMF bailouts to €246 billion by 2016, which is 135% of Greece's GDP in 2013.[60]
4 April 2012 – A retired pharmacist commits suicide a short distance from Greece's parliament as an act of protest against austerity. He becomes a symbol for groups opposing the austerity measures, and violent clashes between police and demonstrators erupt in Athens.[61]
6 May 2012 – Elections are held. The New Democracy party wins, but with a smaller share of the popular vote and fewer seats than it had in the previous election. The governing PASOK party collapses, while more votes go to the left wing parties (Syriza, KKE, and DIMAR) and right wing parties (ANEL, XA). No party wins the majority of the parliament seats.[62]
16 May 2012 – No coalition government is able to be formed, so Panagiotis Pikramenos assumes the position of caretaker Prime Minister. An early election is called for 17 June.[63]
17 June 2012 – Early elections are held. The New Democracy party leads, winning 29.7% of the popular vote, but doesn't win a majority of seats in parliament. Four days later, a coalition government is formed between New Democracy, PASOK and DIMAR. Antonis Samaras, the president of New Democracy, becomes the new Prime Minister.[64][65]
7 November 2012 – The Seventh austerity package is adopted by the Greek parliament. The austerity measures are required for Greece to receive the next installment, the second economic bailout, worth €31.5 billion. Protests occur outside the parliament.[66][67] Austerity measures include: public pension cuts on average between 5% and 15% through the removal of two seasonal bonuses;[19] an increase of the retirement age from 65 to 67;[19][20] additional wage cuts for civil servants up to 20%; and public salary wage cuts up to 30%.
11 November 2012 – The Greek parliament passes the 2013 austerity budget.[citation needed]
28 April 2013 – The Greek parliament approves a reform bill: it abolishes 15,000 state jobs by the end of 2014, including 4,000 in 2013; makes it easier to fire civil servants; increases the working hours of teachers; and cuts a property tax by 15%.[citation needed]
11 June 2013 – The Greek parliament shuts down the country's Public Broadcasting Service ERT.[71]
21 June 2013 – The Democratic Left party withdraws from the Greek coalition government, which retains a razor-thin majority in parliament.[72][73]
24 June 2013 – Prime Minister Samaras reshuffles his cabinet.[74]
17 July 2013 – A new reform bill is passed by the Greek parliament. Measures include a contentious plan for thousands of layoffs and wage cuts for civil service workers.[75]
21 December 2013 – A bill on the Single Property Tax and the auction of houses is approved by a majority of 152 deputies in the 300-seat chamber.[76]
30 March 2014 – The Greek parliament passes a new multi-bill which is needed for Greece to receive its next bailout payment. Nikitas Kaklamanis, a member of parliament, is expelled from the government for abstaining from the vote on one of the bill's two articles, leaving the government with an even smaller majority.[78][79]
29 December 2014 – The government's candidate for the president (a largely ceremonial role), Stavros Dimas, fails to win majority support from parliament, and the government falls. This leads to snap parliamentary elections, which are set to be held on 25 January 2015.[86]
11 July 2015 – The Greek parliament approves the government proposal about bailout plan. 251 MPs vote for the proposal but 17 MPs of government coalition do not support.[98][99]
13 July 2015 – Greece and Europeans creditors strike deal for 86 billion euros bailout over three years, though it must be approved by the parliaments of all of the Eurozone member states.[100]
16 July 2015 – The Greek Parliament approves the first round of measures ("prior actions") required by the creditors, including changes to pensions and taxes, by 229 to 64 despite 21% of Syriza MPs voting against,[101] and some violent protests.[102]
17 July 2015 – The cabinet is reshuffled. The left wing deputies who revolted against the new bailout agreement are sacked from government.[103] German parliament approves the start of negotiations for the third bailout programme for Greece.[104]
23 July 2015 – The Greek parliament approves the second set of bailout measures.[105]
27 July 2015 – An interview involving former finance minister Varoufakis is released, with revelations about a previously secret "plan B."[106]
14 August 2015 – The Greek parliament approves the package of measures for the third bailout package. 222 MPs voted for the agreement, 64 against and another 14 abstained or were absent. 32 Syriza MPs voted against and another 11 abstained.[107][108]
23 September 2015 – The new government is sworn in. Tsakalotos is reappointed as Minister of Finance.[112]
19 November 2015 – The government passes a new austerity package. Two deputies of the government's coalition vote against the measures and they were expelled. The new majority consists of 153 deputies.[113]
4 February 2015 – The ECB decides not to accept the junk-rated collateral offered by Greek banks in return for regular financing, leaving them dependent on emergency liquidity assistance, ELA.[114]
4 June 2015 – Greece asks the IMF to postpone the installment due on 5 June until the end of the month.[115]
28 June 2015 – Tsipras announces that Greek banks will remain closed for a while; he also announces the imposition of capital controls (€60/day withdrawal limit; most foreign transfers banned).[116][117]
30 June 2015 – Greece misses a payment on an IMF loan and falls into arrears.[118] (Missed payments to the IMF are not considered formal defaults by the major credit rating agencies.)[119] The payment was made with a 20-day delay.[120][121]
1–3 July 2015 – 1,000 bank branches open to allow pensioners to withdraw €120 for the week. The move was made to accommodate the many pensioners who lack a bank card.[122]
6 July 2015 – Greece extends its bank holiday and capital controls through 8 July.[123]
20 July 2015 – Greek banks open again, but capital controls remain. The Greek government repays two loans to the IMF and ECB.[124]
3 August 2015 – The Greek Stock Exchange reopened after being closed since 25 June and fell more than 16% with bank stocks losing an average of 30% in a single day's trading.[125]
4 February 2016 – The major general strike takes place amid lasting demonstrations of farmers.[127]
8 May 2016 – A new austerity package (the thirteenth one) to the tune of 5.4 billion euros is passed by the Greek parliament.[128][129]
22 May 2016 – The additional taxes measures is passed by 153 for and 145 against. Syriza MPs Katrivanou resigns, following her vote against two of the articles.[130]
19 May 2017 – The Medium-term Fiscal Strategy Framework 2018–2021, introducing amendments of the provisions of the thirteenth austerity package, is passed by the Greek parliament.[133][134]
On June 21, 2018, Greece's creditors agreed on a 10-year extension of maturities on 96.6 billion euros of loans (i.e., almost a third of Greece's total debt), as well as a 10-year grace period in interest and amortization payments on the same loans.[135] Greece successfully exited (as declared) the bailouts on August 20, 2018.[136]
