I don’t know a lot about this, so please excuse a question.
What if Greece simply said it was going back to being an independent country ... (started its own drachma currency again, etc.)? ...
If Greece went their own way then they couldn’t afford to retire at age 45 anymore. Which is something the EU is trying to deal with them now.
No more retirement at 50. Folks would have to start working for a living. No government pensions or payroll unless the government started collecting taxes.