Greece emerges from eurozone bailout programme

Greece has successfully completed a three-year eurozone bailout programme designed to help it cope with the fallout from its debt crisis.

For the first time in eight years, Greece is now free to borrow money on the financial markets, BBC reports. 

The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) provided the country with €61.9bn (£55bn; $70.8bn) over the three years.

This supported the Greek government's efforts to reform the nation's troubled economy and recapitalise its banks.

Together with assistance from International Monetary Fund, the loans given to Greece since 2010 amounted to more than €260bn - the biggest bailout in global financial history.

As a condition of the loans, the Greek government was forced to introduce a series of unpopular austerity measures.

The Greek economy has grown slowly in recent years and is still 25% smaller than when the crisis began.