Integration Without Convergence? Regional Growth and Discontent in Greece

Abstract This paper investigates the intricate relationship between EU integration, regional growth, and discontent, with a specific focus on Greece. While EU integration is often associated with growth through market expansion and resource optimization, its uneven impacts across regions can produce adverse outcomes. In Greece, persistent regional disparities, trade deficits, and the long-term effects of a severe economic crisis have been accompanied by a visible rise in discontent. This discontent, increasingly expressed through anti-EU sentiment, appears strongly linked to low and uneven returns from integration, especially in regions more vulnerable to trade shocks. By utilizing newly available regional trade data, we analyze how different types of trade integration influence regional growth patterns, contributing to either convergence or divergence. The conclusions underscore that discontent in Greece is not a peripheral issue but a central consequence of integration processes that fail to deliver balanced benefits. As such, the interdependence between integration, discontent, and cohesion policy emerges as a critical dimension for the EU’s democratic and economic stability.