---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The economic crisis has weakened the EU…"
description: "\"The economic crisis has weakened the EU for years.\" — Yanis Varoufakis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/yanis-varoufakis-10824_crisis_the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu_238701.jpg"
---

#  The economic crisis has weakened the EU for years.

![“The economic crisis has weakened the EU for years.” quote by Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/yanis-varoufakis-10824_crisis_the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu_238701.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/yanis-varoufakis-10824_crisis_the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu_238701.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/yanis-varoufakis-10824_crisis_the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu_238701.jpg)

> “The economic crisis has weakened the EU for years.”

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The EU's long‑term weakness stems from ongoing crises.

**In simple terms:** EU suffers from prolonged economic strain.

Key Takeaway

Address structural reforms in the EU.

Themes

economics EU crisis

Mood

analytical urgent

Type

policy economic

When to use this quote

- budget negotiations
- member state debates
- financial aid programs

Key Concepts

structural weakness policy failure

Questions to Reflect On

- What reforms could restore EU stability?
- How can member states cooperate better?

A Different Perspective

External shocks also play a role.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Economic crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-crisis/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/)

## Related quotes

> [By failing seriously to confront the most predicable economic crisis in our nation's history, the President's policies are committing us and our children to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/by-failing-seriously-to-confront-the-most-predicable-economic-crisis/)

[Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/)

> [ We must create a \[economic\] crisis in order to ensure that there is no alternative to a smaller government. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/we-must-create-a-economic-crisis-in-order-to-ensure-that-there-is-no/)

[Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/)

> [In a world wracked by hatred, economic crisis, and political tension, America remains mankind's best hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/in-a-world-wracked-by-hatred-economic-crisis-and-political-tension/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [I have a simple plan to solve the economic crisis. Give every American a $100 credit to the dog track of their choice. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-geist/i-have-a-simple-plan-to-solve-the-economic-crisis-give-every-american/)

[Willie Geist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-geist/)

> [The world has never been as divided as it is now, what with religious wars, genocides, a lack of respect for the planet, economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-never-been-as-divided-as-it-is-now-what-with-religious/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [African Americans are doing a lot already, but I think we have an opportunity right now to change politics in a way that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckmann/african-americans-are-doing-a-lot-already-but-i-think-we-have-an/)

[David Beckmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckmann/)

> [Fundamentally transforming the foundations of the economy is the biggest contribution we can make towards building a sustainable future. The current economic crisis may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-porritt/fundamentally-transforming-the-foundations-of-the-economy-is-the/)

[Jonathon Porritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-porritt/)

> [Democrats are making it clear that they intend to use our economic crisis to rush through their longtime liberal goals without public scrutiny or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-demint/democrats-are-making-it-clear-that-they-intend-to-use-our-economic/)

[Jim DeMint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-demint/)

> [You raise taxes during an economic crisis time, as we did in - back in the time of Herbert Hoover, you send the country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/you-raise-taxes-during-an-economic-crisis-time-as-we-did-in-back-in/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [We start this new year in the midst of an economic crisis unlike we have seen in our lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-start-this-new-year-in-the-midst-of-an-economic-crisis-unlike-we/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [The economic crisis really affected my family - 2006 to 2011 were really bad times. Almost everybody in my family lost their jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-badass/the-economic-crisis-really-affected-my-family-2006-to-2011-were/)

[Joey Badass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-badass/)

> [Europe has been in the grip of a very serious economic crisis for few years, so there have been major cuts to anti-terrorist funding,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-napoleoni/europe-has-been-in-the-grip-of-a-very-serious-economic-crisis-for-few/)

[Loretta Napoleoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-napoleoni/)

> [One wonders whether the Obama re-election campaign may be on the right track as it seeks to apply the you-break-it-you-own-it rule to Bush and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/one-wonders-whether-the-obama-re-election-campaign-may-be-on-the/)

[Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/)

> [Had history been democratic in its ways, there would have been no farming and no indsturial revolution. Both leaps into the future were occasioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/had-history-been-democratic-in-its-ways-there-would-have-been-no/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [Firstly, economic globalisation has brought prosperity and development to many countries, but also financial crises to Asia, Latin America and Russia, and increasing poverty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lindh/firstly-economic-globalisation-has-brought-prosperity-and-development/)

[Anna Lindh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lindh/)

## More by Yanis Varoufakis

> [“Forcing new loans upon the bankrupt on condition that they shrink their income is nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. Greece was never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/forcing-new-loans-upon-the-bankrupt-on-condition-that-they-shrink/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“Larry Summers is one such rare insider. His question to me was in fact an invocation to reject the lure of the outside. Underpinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/larry-summers-is-one-such-rare-insider-his-question-to-me-was-in-fact/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [The many refugees are not a Greek or German problem. They are a European problem. We should therefore develop a common strategy. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/the-many-refugees-are-not-a-greek-or-german-problem-they-are-a/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“If you cannot imagine walking out of a negotiation, you should never enter it. If you cannot fathom the idea of an impasse you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/if-you-cannot-imagine-walking-out-of-a-negotiation-you-should-never/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [Had history been democratic in its ways, there would have been no farming and no indsturial revolution. Both leaps into the future were occasioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/had-history-been-democratic-in-its-ways-there-would-have-been-no/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [We will compromise and compromise and compromise but we will never be compromised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/we-will-compromise-and-compromise-and-compromise-but-we-will-never-be/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“Beneath the specific events that I experienced, I recognised a universal story – the story of what happens when human beings find themselves at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/beneath-the-specific-events-that-i-experienced-i-recognised-a/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [Germany is Europe's heart. But bitterness is widespread. Currently the Germans hate the Greeks and the Greeks hate the Germans. The demonization of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/germany-is-europe-s-heart-but-bitterness-is-widespread-currently-the/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [I don't believe a Brexit will hurt the City of London as one of the largest financial centers in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/i-don-t-believe-a-brexit-will-hurt-the-city-of-london-as-one-of-the/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“Whenever a politician in the know gives a journalist an exclusive in exchange for a particular spin that is in the politician’s interest, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/whenever-a-politician-in-the-know-gives-a-journalist-an-exclusive-in/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [European Union partners never said European Union partners're going to renege on any promises, European Union partners said that European Union partners promises concern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/european-union-partners-never-said-european-union-partners-re-going/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“When inordinate weight is loaded onto a flimsily constructed bridge, the weakest beam will break first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/when-inordinate-weight-is-loaded-onto-a-flimsily-constructed-bridge/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“Most Europeans like to think that American bankruptocracy is worse than its European cousin, thanks to the power of Wall Street and the infamous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/most-europeans-like-to-think-that-american-bankruptocracy-is-worse/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“Austerity is a morality play pressed into the service of legitimizing cynical wealth transfers from the have-nots to the haves during times of crisis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/austerity-is-a-morality-play-pressed-into-the-service-of-legitimizing/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“When a person believes one thing but chooses or is forced to advocate its opposite, the result is cognitive dissonance. Eventually, in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/when-a-person-believes-one-thing-but-chooses-or-is-forced-to-advocate/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

[Explore all 63 Yanis Varoufakis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

## More Crisis quotes

> [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/)

[Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [The crisis of our diminishing water resources is just as severe (if less obviously immediate) as any wartime crisis we have ever faced. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wright/the-crisis-of-our-diminishing-water-resources-is-just-as-severe-if/)

Jim Wright

> [It is popular to call it a crisis of the Western world. It is in fact a crisis of the whole world. Communism, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-popular-to-call-it-a-crisis-of-the-western-world-it-is-in-fact/)

[Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/)

> [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/)

[Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/)

> [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/)

[Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/)

> [In a couple of decades you have half of the wells that are drilled right now, and you're talking about numbers in the millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/in-a-couple-of-decades-you-have-half-of-the-wells-that-are-drilled/)

[Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/)

> [Disasters affect every state, and North Carolinians have given our own tax dollars to help neighbors and those in other states in times of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-cooper/disasters-affect-every-state-and-north-carolinians-have-given-our-own/)

[Roy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-cooper/)

> [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/)

[Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/)

> [When this coronavirus crisis is over, what kind of society will we be? A more important question is what kind of society do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lucas/when-this-coronavirus-crisis-is-over-what-kind-of-society-will-we-be/)

[Caroline Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lucas/)

> [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/)

[Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/)

> [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [Firstly, economic globalisation has brought prosperity and development to many countries, but also financial crises to Asia, Latin America and Russia, and increasing poverty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lindh/firstly-economic-globalisation-has-brought-prosperity-and-development/)

[Anna Lindh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lindh/)

> [If we Europeans are not in a state to be able to solve the refugee crisis ourselves, if we only depend on Plan B…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-kurz/if-we-europeans-are-not-in-a-state-to-be-able-to-solve-the-refugee/)

[Sebastian Kurz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-kurz/)

> [Urbanisation is not a crisis but an opportunity, seeing it as a crisis is wrong. And not just villages, we want everyone to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/urbanisation-is-not-a-crisis-but-an-opportunity-seeing-it-as-a-crisis/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

[Browse all 3,419 Crisis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The economic crisis has weakened the EU for years.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yanis Varoufakis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu-for-years/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crisis"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu-for-years/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/yanis-varoufakis-10824_crisis_the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu_238701.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/yanis-varoufakis-10824_crisis_the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu_238701.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/yanis-varoufakis-10824_crisis_the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu_238701.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The economic crisis has weakened the EU for years.” — Yanis Varoufakis",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Yanis Varoufakis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The economic crisis has weakened the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu-for-years/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu-for-years/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
