“MY GENERATION HAS BEEN TOTALLY IGNORED”

The economic malaise in Greece also has repercussions on the local youth. After all, in these difficult times they have to get a job or make sure that they keep the work they have. The Voice interviewed a number of Greek youths in order to get a closer look at the situation. “The atmosphere in Greece is like the moment when the first drops fall to the ground on what will be a rainy day. Everyone feels the approach of the storm.”

This is what Spyros Aftentoulidis (27), who graduated with a degree in European Studies the previous academic year, has to say. He looks upon the arguments within Europe over the Greece-question wtih sadness. “Some member states could have expressed a little more solidarity in these hard times.” Spyros is referring to Germany, which through chancellor Angela Merkel - dubbed by the German press “Iron Angie” - made clear this week that as far as the EU is concerned, Greece should just be removed from the eurozone. “A tactical move,” finds Spyros, alluding to the regional elections in Germany, “but still egoistic, in the sense that this serves the interests of one country only, and not those of the European Union as a whole.”

CORRUPTION

Meanwhile, the Greeks are fed up with it. They have been getting unpleasant surprises one after the other and they could be the ones who will suffer from the consequences of the mistakes of their government. “I did not think last year that Greece would be replacing Iceland in international media headlines. Neither did I imagine that the Greeks would become acquainted with until recently completely unfamiliar words like ‘budget deficit’ . . . I am sure that we would have produced a number of good economists after the crisis,” says Vassilis Stavrakakis (31), intern at the European Parlement Bureau for Greece in Athens. Vassilis thinks that corruption is the major cause of the current misfortune. “Within the EU, corruption in Greece is comparable to that in Bulgaria, Romania, and Italy. It is endemic, an inherent part of the system, our culture and mentality. Only strong political will, structural reform and social cohesion, which I am certain are still lacking, can bring changes in Greece. Some are saying that the crisis is a singular opportunity to finally be done with corruption. I would really like to believe that, but I am convinced that that will never happen. Maybe in another country, but in one where politicians involved in scandals are not put in prison, where the rule of law simply does not exist, I do not think so. . .”

FROM CONSTRUCTION WORKER TO EUROCRAT

Vassilis’ pessism is no exaggeration. Bettina Derpanopoulou (27), a beginning lawyer says: “Now, at the beginning of my professional life, I do not feel I am supported by the state. Instead of a helping hand, the government is more an enemy. It makes it impossible for me to realize my dreams or to somehow plan my future.” Vassilis agrees: “There are enough qualified young people who studied in Greece or abroad. But they just cannot land jobs. Even before the crisis we have been forced to take up work we did not study for: lower level and lower paying jobs, only because the labor market cannot absorb us due to a lack of financial means. It has just gotten worse now: most fresh graduates cannot find even menial jobs. ‘Job hunting’ is torture for young people who are well-educated but have no connections. Not only the private sector but the government too are shutting us out.” Spyros has his own way of dealing with the situation. After his promotion and military service, the engineer changed his tack and chose to spend a year in Belgium to take up European Studies, then worked as a construction worker once he was back in Greece. Now he is doing an internship at the European Commission in Brussels. “I am trying to do everything one at a time. I have nothing much to say about my future, but I try to equip myself with experience and knowledge of different areas in order to be able to deal with the demands of professional life.”

A BRIGHT FUTURE?

When you hear such stories, you wonder if this generation will go down in history as the “lost generation.” Spyros is careful to say that “The future does not look so good for my generation. Olga Daskali (25), a lawyer, says: “Psychologically, I feel I have been left behind. My generation has been deprived of everything, of decisions, of all improvements.” Yet, despite this negative assessment, she remains optimistic about the future: “History has taught us that there are low moments or downward trends. Now we are at the bottom, but we will come on top. We must be patient and learn from past mistakes.” Vassilis is not as conciliatory: “I think that I will quit Greece for the third, but this time definitively. Personal links and people have brought me back to Greece before, but now it no longer makes sense to go back. I cannot wait for another four years, jobless and living in my parents’ house, for corrupt politicians and a system that have ignored my generation to overcome the crisis.” |