There is no doubt that the German proposal for the appointment of an economic overseer, whose main task would have been to ensure the repayment of the country’s debt, was an affront to Greek sensitivities. It was put forward in a particularly “German” manner, without any perception of its political impact, and was rightly rejected by the country’s leadership. Even European and eurozone officials, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, rejected the idea, while Merkel tried to calm things down.

By Aggelos Stagos

It became clear, however, during Monday’s European summit that the idea of a tighter control of Greece remains, as there is a common realization that reforms are making scant progress, State spending is not falling and privatizations are flagging. It seems the perfect recipe to drive the troika mad, with the help, of course, of the Greek media. When the troika proposals became public last week, for instance, publicity was singularly focused on those concerning salaries and pensions, with no mention of those targeting tax evasion.

Make no mistake, the troika, as well as other teams of foreign officials, such as Horst Reichenbach’s Task Force for Greece, who are here to offer technical help, are facing an unbelievable situation in their contacts with government departments. They arrange appointments and they meet Greeks completely unprepared, unable to offer any suggestions or constructive counterproposals. They often feel as if they are talking to blank walls. Naturally, they include their unique experiences in their reports, thereby providing the seed for the idea of a “gauleiter”.

A luminous exception is Thessaloniki Mayor Yiannis Boutaris. He welcomed to his city Hans Hoachim Fuchtel, Merkel’s Deputy Labor Minister, who is to help Greek regions absorb European investment subsidies, and has developed a good working relationship with him. The slogan is “Fuchtel is our man in Germany” and the indications are that the relationship is going to be a fruitful one for Thessaloniki and its surrounding regions. “Do it like Boutaris” is now the slogan to adopt.