PM orders ministers to speed up reforms

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Tuesday told key cabinet members in the two-party coalition to speed up structural reforms in the state sector in order to meet the targets set by the country’s international creditors, who want to see progress in agreed changes to the public administration as a condition for releasing further life-saving funding.

Meeting at his Maximos Mansion headquarters, Samaras, his coalition partner and Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos, and Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras, called for more urgency from the ministers of Interior Yiannis Michelakis, Administrative Reform Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Education Constantinos Arvanitopoulos, Development Costis Hadzidakis and Health Adonis Georgiadis.

The meeting addressed progress made so far in plans to streamline the public administration with the induction of thousands of civil servants into a so-called mobility scheme where they will get reduced pay ahead of transfer or dismissal.

A plan for restructuring of Hellenic Defense Systems (EAS), the Hellenic Vehicles Industry (ELVO) and the Larco mining company, was also on the agenda.

According to sources, the prime minister and ministers expressed their intention to avoid any more horizontal cuts and to focus instead of a shake-up of all ministries, and especially that of Education.