Contributor(s): Theodore Pelagidis | The emergence of the current crisis, and its handling by successive Greek governments once the crisis led to the loss of the confidence markets had in the Greek government, has led many opinion leaders and academics to express doubts with respect to the wisdom of the decision of Greece to participate in the final stage of the EMU, and correspondingly of the European Union bodies to accept Greece in the final stage of the EMU. This paper/presentation focuses on the crisis period 2010-2013 where severe austerity policies are dictated by the MoU and the conditionality programs. It also deals with reforms been made on employment, wages, earnings and labour cost developments during the above period so as the economy to increase competitiveness and viability within the Eurozone area. The presentation will finally offer policy guidelines for the future. This research will also be published as a book (co-authored with M. Mitsopoulos) in January 2014, by the Brookings Institution Press and it is the outcome of research undertaken by the author on behalf of the Brookings Institution, entitled: The Greek Growth Project.