Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis proceeded with cabinet changes following recent resignations. Photo source: Prime Minster’s Press Office (Archive photo)
The Greek government on Friday announced a cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of three officials amid recent judicial developments.
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis confirmed that Giannis Kefalogiannis, Kostas Tsiaras and Dimitris Vartzopoulos stepped down shortly after two case files were forwarded to Parliament.
The files are related to the OPEKEPE subsidy management case, concerning alleged irregularities in the distribution of EU agricultural funds in Greece.
Key Changes
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis proceeded with immediate changes to the government lineup as follows:
Ministry of Rural Development and Food
• Minister: Margaritis Schinas
• Deputy Minister: Makarios Lazaridis
• Deputy Minister: Giannis Andrianos
Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection
• Minister: Evangelos Tournas
• Deputy Minister: Kostas Katsafados
Departures
• Giannis Kefalogiannis
• Kostas Tsiaras
• Dimitris Vartzopoulos
No replacement will be appointed for Vartzopoulos. His responsibilities for the mental health portfolio will be redistributed internally within the Health Ministry.
Who is Margaritis Schinas
Margaritis Schinas, the new minister of rural development and food. Photo source: EU College of Commissioners
Margaritis Schinas, the new minister of rural development and food, is a senior Greek politician with a long career in EU institutions.
Born in Thessaloniki in 1962, he studied law at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and continued his studies in European affairs and public administration in Bruges and London.
He joined the European Commission in 1990, later served as an MEP (2007–2009), and returned to the Commission, where he held senior roles. Schinas was chief spokesperson of the Commission (2014–2019) and vice president under Ursula von der Leyen until 2024.
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