Greek Cabinet reshuffle expected in fires' aftermath: Local media

ATHENS

In the aftermath of devastating fires this summer, Greece’s conservative government may announce a Cabinet reshuffle early this week, but large changes are unlikely, said local media on Sunday.

With a meeting of the Cabinet already set for Tuesday, government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou implied that there is a possibility of a reshuffle, Kathimerini daily reported.

Earlier this month, after fires burned thousands of acres of forestland on Evia Island and in Attica and the Peloponnese, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told reporters that “responsibilities ... will be assigned at the right moment, not during the battle.”

Kathimerini laid out three scenarios: Either the reshuffle will be announced at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting if Mitsotakis has already made up his mind, or he could announce them before a trip this week to Thessaloniki, or after a later one to France.

According to the paper, the modifications are not expected to be extensive, as that could signal a larger failure by the government.

Changes at the deputy minister level are expected to be more significant.

Expected back from the US on Monday, Mitsotakis has a busy week ahead.

After Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, he has a trip to Slovenia the same day, and on Wednesday, he is set to attend meetings in Thessaloniki ahead of the city's international fair set for Sept. 11.

On Thursday he is expected to fly to Marseille, France to take part in a forum on biodiversity in the Mediterranean region.