The most recent meeting of finance managers from Eurozone took place early in May in Brussels, Germany. Since 2010 these meetings have gone nowhere and have been met within increasing public frustration, considering the upheaval that has been occurring in Greece. As the meeting drew to a close, officials merely waved to audiences without uttering a word about progress.

The meeting has come as fallout from the EU’s implementation of austerity measures for Greece. Everyone involved has behaved unprofessionally, ignoring human rights and turning a blind eye to the serious economic and financial damage the program has caused. Austerity has adopted successive spending cuts, eliminated public sector jobs, and increased direct and indirect taxes. Problems have been a long time coming and the Greek economy continues to suffer.

Greek Population Hurting

Affected most of all are Greece’s young adult population. There has also been a steady increase in homelessness and poverty that is mounting to a humanitarian crisis as suicide rates continue to rise.

What could be done to ease the tension and start Greece on a path back to financial and societal well-being? Mediation could be the answer.

The first step to resolving the problem is to scale down the country’s huge unserviceable debt. The United States has offered to provide assistance with alternative dispute resolution that could help make the situation better. It is unlikely Greece will ever get ahead of its problems without a break, which could require an intervention of some kind form a neutral third party. Mediation could result in securing sustained economic growth that best serves the population of Greece. A mediated settlement would also help to restore Greece’s reputation to its creditors, opening a door for more opportunity in the future.