The European sovereign debt crisis began as early as 2008 when the banking system in Iceland collapsed. This was compounded by the equally devastating financial crisis of 2007 to 2008, as well as the Great Recession of 2008 to 2012. As a result, the crisis peaked between the years of 2010 and 2012, with European nations being amongst the hardest hit by the economic and financial turmoil.

The main cause of the European Sovereign Debt Crisis was the collapse of several financial institutions on the continent, which had been holding large quantities of government bonds from nations such as Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. The combined bad debt of these countries rose to levels which were unsustainable.

It was further exacerbated by a high amount of government debt, budget deficits, and the lack of institutional reform. This combination of factors put immense pressure on the European Union’s fiscal policies, leading to uncontrolled fiscal deficits, inflation, and deflation.

The governments of many European nations were forced to take drastic measures to reduce their debt. This included imposing austerity measures, cutting public spending, and reducing public sector salaries. This led to social unrest, with people demonstrating in the streets against the austerity measures.

The European Central Bank was then forced to step in and implement emergency measures, in particular quantitative easing, to help alleviate some of the debt crisis. This involved injecting generous amounts of liquidity into the market. The crisis also highlighted the need for more solidarity and cohesion within the European Union, as well as the need for stronger fiscal reforms.

The financial trials of the crisis have left Europe in a very precarious situation. Although there have been some positive signs since 2012, the European sovereign debt crisis is still having a major economic and social impact. It is an issue that still needs to be addressed if the European Union is to avoid further financial instability in the future.