“Do it like 2019”: Greek PM hands out “blue files”, special meetings with ministers

Kyriakos Mitsotakis seeks to show citizens a sense of speed in government action, setting the pace for the government machine himself and largely following… the 2019 model at the start of the second “blue” four-year period.

In the third day after his party’ electoral landslide, the prime minister calls the new group of “63” (ministers, deputies and substitute-ministers) to a meeting in Maximos, giving the dictum “not a day wasted”.

After all, he himself will ask for… rolled up sleeves from all his executives, while he is expected in his on-camera placement to talk about the end of a cycle of “toxicity”, pledging to implement the pre-election commitments.

This expanded composition lends a celebratory character to the first Cabinet of the four-year term, which is otherwise expected to contain indirect and direct mandates, warnings of continuous evaluation as well as policy messages. And it will of course have the infamous “blue files” – the objectives, timetables and key actions by ministry.

The meeting is scheduled for 11:00 (all government officials received the invitation after yesterday’s swearing-in), while a few hours later Mitsotakis will go to the Finance Ministry.

Immigration – Economy

He had opened a similar cycle of visits to the ministries in the summer of 2019, starting then with Education, in order to put immediate priorities and medium-long-term planning on the table.

Besides, today’s special meeting on the economy with Kostis Hatzidakis, Nikos Papathanasis, Haris Theoharis and Thanos Petralias will be the second.

Yesterday, the preparatory meeting in Maximos with the subject of immigration preceded the summit in Brussels (next Thursday-Friday) and the EU Home Affairs Council on July 20 in Spain.

It was attended by, among others, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis and the Deputy Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou, the Minister of Immigration Dimitris Kairides, the Minister of Shipping Miltiadis Varvitsiotis and the Minister of Citizen Protection, Notis Mitarakis.

Six-month horizon

The PM’s aim is to make the most of the government’s positive momentum after the election defeat and the poor result for SYRIZA, in order to cultivate a timely profile of “reform” and “decisiveness” while the opposition is regrouping.

It is indicative that the PM’s office has set a six-month horizon for the first “big changes”, especially regarding some of the priority portfolios for the new four-year period, which are also linked to critical milestones of the Recovery Fund. Such are, for example, the areas of Health and Justice – where difficult reforms are also imminent.

However, Mitsotakis is looking for “operational” ability and determination from his (new) Cabinet. His colleagues commented that the choices of the specific persons in the government scheme “symbolize Mitsotakis’ will for changes and reforms and therefore for an unyielding attitude in the face of pathogens”.

By the end of 2023, the government seeks to have left a mark of “consistency” of words and deeds and a will to reform, while much earlier, during the summer in particular, the first legislative initiatives will be promoted.

First, the “updating” of the so-called staff state, a bill that will largely concern state-citizen relations as well as the organization of the State.

Then all the financial commitments in a piece of legislation will follow as a first commitment that the promises will be implemented, even if many decisions have a longer implementation time.

As the Prime Minister has announced, the return of Athens and Thessaloniki water and sewage works from the Superfund to the full control of the State will be legislated immediately.