The billions that Greece owes to France
If Greece came out of the euro area, the country would enter into an inextricable chaos. It would not be alone in suffering: the countries of the euro area would lose the billions they have loaned him since 2010 for the shoot of the rut. Indeed, Athens would reimburse probably not what it owes them. In this hypothesis, the two largest economies in the region, Germany and France would lose the most.
If Greece were to fail in mid-June, the French government should write off 50 billion "net," said the outgoing Minister of Economy Baroin. According to calculations of Figaro.fr, this amount could rise to 58.5 billion euros. This is 895 euros per French, or almost 3% of what the country produces in a year. Germany would lose directly, as calculated by the magazine Wirtschaft Woche, 76.6 billion euros and all the European institutions, nearly 302 billion euros, according to figures released by the rating agency Fitch.
Concerning France, the amount includes bilateral loans in the forefront of European aid (11.4 billion between 2010 and 2011). What must be added the participation of France in the second program, launched in early 2012, 15 billion euros granted through the firewall European, that is to say, the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF). The whole is 26.4 billion euros of direct exposure of France to Greece.
In addition to these funds, France should meet, at least in part, the losses suffered by the European Central Bank (ECB) under its importance within the euro area. At the height of the crisis, the guardian of the single currency has indeed bought in the markets for 40 billion euros of Greek debt, according to Fitch payday advance lender. If Athens were to fail, the ECB should say goodbye to that amount. France would then bail out of 8.9 billion euros. The same mechanism, it may have to recapitalize the International Monetary Fund (1.6 billion euros).
The bill gets heavier over time
More indirectly, France may have to refinance the network of central banks in the euro area, again according to its economic importance, either to the tune of 22.2 billion euros (calculated by Fitch). Indeed, the Greek central bank has accumulated 106 billion of financial compensation to its European counterparts, according to the rating agency.
The slate of the Greek state vis-à-vis France stretches over months, while assistance payments keep coming. Suddenly, one observer, "more a Greek bankruptcy would occur later, the more it would be costly to its partners." The EFSF must still pay 75.9 billion euros by 2014, the International Monetary 28.2 billion euros, according to calculations by analysts of the bank Credit Suisse. If Greece is in the euro area, it will begin to repay the loans from France and other partners from 2020 … and over a period of between 20 and 30.
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