( CNN ) -- They say a week is a long time in politics . In today 's febrile world of finance , it 's a lifetime . Europe 's leaders may soon learn that lesson the hard way if they continue to dodge the question on everyone 's lips : What to do if Greece is pushed out of the eurozone ? No stranger to unfortunate soubriquets herself , Angela Merkel has repeatedly refused to address the matter of a Greek exit -- or `` Grexit , '' as it has been dubbed . This week , she cited `` political correctness '' as her logic for skirting the issue . Either way , the bosses of some of the eurozone 's biggest companies have decided they ca n't afford the luxury of being caught short . With a staff of more than 90,000 to consider and operations in more than 80 countries to oversee , Shell CEO Peter Voser has admitted that he must plan for what the markets say is an increasingly plausible outcome to a tragedy well into its third year . Speaking on CNN 's `` World Business Today , '' Voser said that `` one obviously has made provisions '' at this stage . `` I still see it as a low likelihood scenario , but we have done our work over the last few months to prepare ourselves , '' he said . As high as the stakes are for one of the world 's biggest oil companies , the stakes for heads of government , like Merkel , are even higher . About 320 million people use the euro daily , and as the German chancellor knows , the integrity of the union is crucial for confidence in its economy -- an economy that just flatlined in the first quarter . This invites the question : If it 's so obvious to business leaders , why do Europe 's elected leaders still shy away from the subject ? Charles Proctor , partner at the law firm Edwards Wildman , thinks he knows the answer . Having spent the past two years pondering the possibility of a eurozone member dropping out , Proctor says the existing legal framework does n't offer a formal escape route . The European Union treaty does give Greece the extreme option of backing out of the EU but not out of its monetary system in itself . This means any negotiations would have to be kept quiet . `` One assumes that a certain amount of contingency work has been done , '' Proctor said , `` just that it has been kept secret against the political backdrop that the eurozone must hold together . '' Greeks set election date amid possibility of bank panic . That view is echoed by former EU Commissioner and one-time UK Trade Secretary Peter Mandelson . `` I think it would be better to discuss this behind closed doors . Otherwise , it would create yet more uncertainty , '' he said . `` In theory you might say : 'Its face does n't fit , it 's not performing in the way that others need it to do , its politics are falling apart , its people are miserable ... so why not let it go out ? ' But the consequences of that would shake Greece for many , many years to come . '' Since Greece went to the polls May 6 , as many as six rate-setters from the European Central Bank have openly debated the pros and cons of a common currency minus one troublesome member . The word `` Grexit '' has made the front page of tabloids and broadsheets in non-eurozone nations like Britain for two straight days . But bookmaker Paddy Power has cut the odds it is offering on Greece being the first out of the eurozone to 1-in-10 from 1-in-8 . Lex van Dam , co-founder of Hampstead Capital , says it 's a `` really tough call . '' He says Greece 's chances of keeping the euro are 50-50 and hinge less on political goodwill than financial support from the European Central Bank . `` Saving Greece means throwing good money after bad , but not saving Greece means possible huge and fatal capital outflows from the periphery as well , '' he said . If that 's the case , van Dam said , the losses incurred by the central bank could threaten the very institutions set up to safeguard the euro . Which means keeping Greece inside the eurozone could mean a `` no euros zone '' for its neighbors further down the line . So can the tide be turned ? Proctor reckons the dam has burst . `` For many years it used to be taboo , but so many people are talking about it , it 's not a possibility that can be ignored anymore , '' he said . Either way , lawyers , hedge fund managers and chief executives are discussing the euro area 's monetary fate , even if those in charge of its member nations are not .
The eurozone 's biggest companies make contingency plans for Greece 's exit . `` I still see it as a low likelihood scenario , but we have done our work , '' Shell 's CEO says . Europe 's elected leaders are saying little , but many suspect behind-the-scenes talks . Lex van Dam sees a 50-50 chance of Greece staying in the eurozone .