You wrote: > Given that Greece is 'paying' for these imports with borrowed money, which is unlikely ever to be paid back, how is this setup benefitting? > Wel

You wrote: > Given that Greece is 'paying' for these imports with borrowed money, which is unlikely ever to be paid back, how is this setup benefitting? > Well, the Euro collapsed for everybody, so all other Euro members had exactly the same benefit. I don't know if you're trolling me or not. Maybe you should read a little bit about the context before engaging into similar discussions. A few good starting points: Macronomics: http://www.amazon.com/Macroeconomics-3rd-Edition-Paul-Krugman/dp/1429283432/ref=zg_bs_2596_1 http://www.amazon.com/Macroeconomics-3rd-Edition-Paul-Krugma... [2] http://www.amazon.com/Currency-Wars-Making-Global-Crisis-ebook/dp/B005GSYZRA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432284607&sr=1-1&keywords=currency+wars http://www.amazon.com/Currency-Wars-Making-Global-Crisis-ebo... Also read about public debts what they are and how they did evolve. Finally, you're looking financial answers to a political problem. Strictly financially speaking, debt restructuring is the only sensible solution to Greece AND everyone else. What you're watching, is a live show of poor justifications from failed politicians (all over the EU).