Problems+Greece

Problems in Greece

Greece is experiencing a budget crisis so severe that the country may lose its place in the European Union. Athens is reporting a deficit that is four times the European Union limit, which means that Greece could be in danger of losing the euro as its national currency.

The government has promised tough austerity measures, but most Greeks say that they are in no mood for compromise. Farmers that are blockcading border crossings say they're desperate and need money. Cheap imports and middlemen's charges are pushing Greek produce out of most major markets. Nearly 1 in 10 Greeks are employed by the government as a civil servant; that's about 1 million people. But Papandreou's pledge to trim that number has already triggered protests strike? The problem is no longer Greece but fear of contagon. media type="googlemap" key="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=greece&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.094886,56.513672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Greece&ll=39.074208,21.824312&spn=0.070226,0.110378&z=13&output=embed" width="425" height="350"