Greece’s government announced a cabinet reshuffle on Saturday, bringing several new ministers into key roles following a farm subsidies scandal. A hard-right figure will also run the migration policy of the country.
The shake-up follows Friday’s dramatic political crisis in the ruling New Democracy party after the resignation of four senior officials, all caught up in a massive fraud investigation surrounding OPEKEPE. The OPEKEPE was Greece’s state body that handed out European agricultural subsidies.
What started as questions about farm payments has become one of the worst political headaches Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has faced so far.
Hard-right pick for migration following Voridis’ resignation
The new Migration and Asylum Minister will be a figure who started off his political career in the now non-existent far-right LAOS party, which has been widely described as far-right by analysts and political commentators.
Putting him in charge of migration policy feels like a deliberate signal of continuation, as the previous minister, Makis Voridis, who resigned on Friday, transitioned from the same party over to New Democracy over thirteen years ago.
Greece already faces constant criticism from human rights organizations and NGOs over its handling of asylum seekers, as ministers with hardline positions continue to run the crucial ministry.
More cabinet appointments in Greece following the scandal
Three deputy ministerial slots also got filled as part of the necessary reshuffle.
The Deputy Foreign Ministry position went to an experienced MP, Harry Theocharis, who has held cabinet positions before and comes from the centrist faction of the New Democracy party. He is seen as more of a technocrat.
For the Deputy Ministry covering Rural Development and Food, the choice was Giannis Andrianos, a party veteran with deep connections to Greece’s farming sector while the Digital Governance deputy spot went to a younger MP, 41-year-old Christos Dermetzopoulos, in a clear attempt by the Mitsotakis government to provide a new face for his scandal-battled cabinet.
The EU fine that started it all
This was all prompted by the OPEKEPE scandal, uncovered by European investigators who classify this as systematic abuse of European farm subsidy programs. This is money that went to people who weren’t even farmers, as eligibility requirements were bent or entirely overlooked.
The European Commission hit Greece with a €392.2 million fine, and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office opened a full investigation to uncover what happened with farm subsidies in Greece all these years.
The Greek government’s response was to shut down OPEKEPE altogether—essentially admitting the system was totally broken and the situation was beyond repair. Nonetheless, closing an agency doesn’t resolve the political damage, as the scandal has already prompted hard hits from all corners of Greece’s opposition.
Related: Top Ministers Resign Amid Farm Subsidies Scandal in Greece