Helping hand from France for reforms
The government is attempting a French-style administrative reform with political support and technical guidance from Paris, aimed at improved, faster and more efficient implementation of reforms set out in the latest bailout agreement.
In the context of the cooperation protocol signed during the recent visit of French President Francois Hollande to Athens, French technical experts have been installed in Greece’s crucial ministries, where they will be offering their know-how regarding the drafting of bills and the implementation of the reforms required.
French assistance will be comprehensive and will concern all of the bailout commitments signed by the government, in order to ensure that there are as few problems as possible during the performance review by the creditors.
Besides technical assistance, France will also “supply political support through the maintenance and development of high-level contacts between Greek authorities and other European Union states, as well as all parties concerned,” according to the Greek-French protocol. Leading the entire effort will be two supreme coordinators, one from the French and one from the Greek side, who will supervise the progress of work and the cooperation between the experts.
