Contemporary Greece and Europe

Abstract:

Contemporary Greek society is characterised by an all-embracing trend for reform. Greece's effective integration into the European Union has been the driving force of this trend, making the modernisation of both its economy and its society an urgent and imperative objective. But the road to European integration has been not only an extremely long and non-linear process; it remains incomplete. This book aims to explore some of the most important facets of divergence between Greece and the EU. It examines the processes through which Greece's relative performance is affected economically, socially, politically and internationally, and analyses the significant attempts to modernise and rationalise internal and external policies and structures.

Most of the papers in this volume are revised presentations of the papers initially presented in a conference organised by the editors in 1998 and have been updated to reflect changes since the conference took place.

The book comprises 23 chapters divided into five parts, each concentrating on specific policy areas. In the introductory section, Greece's Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, the late Yannos Kranidiotis, analyses the fundamental objectives of Greek foreign policy. Tsoukalis examines the challenges and implications associated with EU membership for Greek domestic and foreign politics, and Mitsos explores Greece's participation in the process of European integration. Part II deals with Greece and the EMU, Part III analyses the issues related to state modernisation and adjustment, Part IV examines the welfare state and related policies and finally Part V analyses Greece's foreign policy and external relations with particular emphasis on the Balkans and Greek-Turkish relations.

This book will be of considerable interest to students and academics interested in Greece's EU membership, and its impact on Greek society and economy.