First they send over 'technical assistance'

It is one of those well worn tracks of international affairs. When one big powerful country wants to take over a smaller less powerful country. But wants to do it subtlety.

It starts with the offer of technical assistance. It is how the East India Company operated in India. It was what Kennedy described the first involvement in Vietnam. It now appears to be what is happening in Greece.

It is the provision of 'technical assistance'.

Here are some comments of Barroso quoted on Monday,

The Commission president said he had "no doubt" of the Greek government's determination to push through the necessary structural reforms. "But there are problems in terms of administrative capacity," he said.

This was quoted elsewhere on Agence Europe,

In Brussels on Monday evening the Greek prime minister, George Papandreou, is believed to have expressed his interest in this initiative. Technical assistance may also be forthcoming to help Greece to resolve a deficit in its "administrative capacity", said Barroso.

So what we are seeing here is the Commission will be sending over 'experts' to provide technical assistance and 'help' the Greek authorities carry out measures that the Greek people do not want, against their will.

The policies are those demanded by the suzerain overlords of Brussels.