Nominal or Real Convergence with the EMU Criteria: The Case of Greece

Abstract

This paper discusses the nominal and real convergence regarding Greece being a country-member of the European Union (EU), and of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). We argued that nominal convergence is relative to Maastricht criteria when real convergence has been investigated through six different axes: (1) the five Maastricht Criteria, (2) the GDP per capita in PPP prices, (3) the real GDP growth rates, (4) the minimum wages, (5) the HDI index development, and (6) the unemployment rates. We concluded for the case of Greece that by utilizing alternative indicators, such as the Maastricht criteria, and the above criteria only nominal convergence exists while real convergence appears to be a long-term target with many obstacles. In particular, Greece has managed to achieve the criteria proposed by the EMU (Maastricht Criteria) for membership, decisively different levels of unemployment, wages, and GDP growth rate/GDP per capita in PPP prices, and different human development indexes appear for the case of Greece.

Citation

Bitzenis, A. and Papadimitriou, P. (2021), "Nominal or Real Convergence with the EMU Criteria: The Case of Greece", Vlachos, V., Bitzenis, A. and Sergi, B.S. (Ed.) Modeling Economic Growth in Contemporary Greece (Entrepreneurship and Global Economic Growth), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 61-102. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-122-820211006