In Greece, European integration has long been perceived as a positive influence on the upgrading of democratic governance and state performance. But in 2010 the sovereign debt crisis turned an international spotlight on the underlying problems of governance behind the country’s financial weakness. Thirty years after its accession to the European Community, Greece is characterised by low democratic quality and state quality which challenge the picture of a European integration success story. The paper asks to what extent the present Greek malaise may be seen as a failure of integration and particularly as a legacy of the pre-accession process.
