BRUSSELS - In a recent report by OECD, the public administration in Greece received a dismal assessment. Greek EU functionaries could help Hellas to get ahead with necessary reforms. 

Public servants that don't communicate with each other, total lack of coordination, ghost units, and a prevalence of the tunnel perspective: A report by the OECD, that has just been issued, finds the current system of Greek public administration unfit to get the country on the growth track. 

The report has been finalised in 2011 by a team of OECD officials, in joint collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Administrative reforms. The report is very substantial and the findings cannot be ignored. 

According to the report, the underlying problem is that there is no central or strategic leadership setting the parameters of policy and controlling them. Concretely speaking, in the reports own words: "A major finding of this report is that monitoring, co-ordination and information-sharing mechanisms are extremely weak throughout the central administration, which makes it very difficult for individual ministries to supervise and control public sector entities effectively." The report concludes that the public sector at large was affected by the "inadequate capacity of ministries to carry reforms into the implementation stage."

Everybody knows that without substantial reforms, competitiveness will not be restored and the crisis will not be overcome. Nowadays, too many parts of the Greek public administration resemble a multi-headed Hydra. Of course, there are committed and qualified people in the administration, but they have to fight the system in case they want to make a difference. The report judges: "In cases where co-ordination does happen, it is ad hoc, based on personal initiative and knowledge, and not supported by structures."

My conclusion, after having read the report: We have to support the willing and committed public servants in Greece. They need to be supported by Greek EU functionaries. According to estimates, there are around 2,500 of them all over Brussels. 

They are excellently qualified, committed to good governance, and mourn the state their home country is in. 

Ever since the crisis broke out, I met a lot of these functionaries. Many are ready to go to Athens and help to implement the reforms. Technically it is easily feasible. The EU can provide financial support via "technical assistance" to member states and can delegate staff to member states. Hence, they stay on the payroll of the EU institutions. 

This is what I propose: The EU forms a special "Iolaus team", a task-force of 500 delegated Greek EU functionaries, which directly reports to the Prime Minister and is vested with the power to enforce reforms of good governance? The Iolaus team focusses on tax collecting, control of public funds, and the management of EU-funds. 

Why do we call it "Iolaus"? There is an episode from Greek history that came to my mind reading the article. When Heracles was confronted with the multi-headed monster Hydra, he got essential help from his nephew Iolaus. Some even argue that without his nephew, Heracles could not have done the job. Drawing the analogy, I would like to call this strategy "Iolaus strategy". Let us face the Hydra. Its heads have had enough time to grow.