The argument that “tough love” was necessary in southern Europe, because nothing there would ever have changed otherwise, has been settled. The love has been very tough indeed, generating rapid economic contraction, massive unemployment (upwards of 50% among young people), and continued fiscal deterioration, owing to rising debt-service costs.
对待南欧地区“严是爱、宽是害”，否则那里永远无法进步的说法已经深入人心。这种爱的确非常严厉，不断攀升的借贷成本导致该地区经济快速收缩、大批民众失业（青年人的失业率高达50%以上）和财政状况持续恶化。事实上，即使不是所有欧元区成员国集体陷入衰退，它们也都面临着经济增长疲软的难题而束手无策。