a)  Economic adjustment during the past five years  Since the beginning of the crisis, five years ago, Greece has come a long way in adjusting its fiscal and external imbalances and has implemented a bold programme of structural reforms. First, there has been unprecedented fiscal consolidation.
In 2013, Greece returned to a primary surplus in the general government for the first time since 2002. Moreover, by achieving a primary surplus (as defined in the programme) of 1.2% of GDP, it outperformed the programme target of a balanced primary result in the general government.