Since the beginning of the public debt crisis in 2009, opposite economic situations have emerged between Southern Europe on one hand, and Central and Northern Europe on the other hand: a higher unemployment rate and public debt in the Mediterranean countries with the exception of Malta, and a lower unemployment rate with higher GDP growth rate in the Eastern and in Northern member countries.
S obzirom na početak krize javnog duga u 2009. godini, suprotne ekonomske situacije pojavile su se između Južne Europe s jedne strane i Srednje i Sjeverne Europe s druge strane: veća stopa nezaposlenosti i javni dug u zemljama Sredozemlja te niža stopa nezaposlenosti s većom stopom rasta BDP-a u istočnim i sjevernim zemljama članicama.