Being the Union. A European team at the heart of the Greek crisis

The management of the Greek crisis has given rise to numerous critical assessments, which have identified it as the endorsement of a technocratic and austerity-driven power with little regard for adherence to European rules. This article, based on a sociological analysis of the normative work of staff within a European Commission service known as the ‘task force for Greece’, demonstrates the value of going beyond such a perspective to understand the impact of exceptional circumstances on the actors at the centre of crisis policies. The Greek crisis poses a challenge to these staff members, as it complicates intervention and its alignment with European rules. What emerges is a surprisingly critical discourse aimed at restoring the role of the “European bureaucrat”, even at the risk of undermining institutional coherence during the crisis. The tensions revealed by the research are understood through the intertwined context, the actors and their interpretations during their activities. This outlines a different narrative of the management of the Greek crisis, which has often been perceived as apolitical at its core.