MacroPolis

Spotlight falls on public hirings as PM pledges more health staff

Hirings in the public sector are in the spotlight this week due to confusion over whether the government will persist with the university police founded in its first term and following comments by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday about unveiling his hiring plan imminently.

ND turns sights on public servants as train crash prompts drop in ratings

The government is searching for a new line of defence to protect it from the political impact of the Tempe rail crash after another demonstration in Athens on Sunday and the publication of a second poll suggesting there has been a notable drop in support for New Democracy.

SYRIZA steps up cronyism allegations on eve of EP committee visit

While the government continues to face fresh allegations in the phone-tapping affair, opposition SYRIZA is pursuing what it claims is extensive evidence of corruption in the allocation of public sector contracts to private companies close to the governing party.

Digital initiatives challenged by opposition focussed on cost of living and political hires

The New Democracy administration unveiled a digital wallet as part of its ongoing e-government overhaul, but for opposition SYRIZA the announcement was an opportunity to ask questions about the stalled digital ID project and the conservatives’ record in public administration reform.

Administrative changes unveiled as PM's technocratic pledge is tested again

In what is usually a subdued period for Greek politics between Christmas and New Year, the government has announced a series of changes among its general and special secretaries, while also experiencing turbulence with regard to one of its earlier technocratic appointments.

Public sector hires under scrutiny again with more in the pipeline

The latest enhanced surveillance report from the European Commission urged the Greek government to keep a close watch on the public sector payroll, which is once again growing at a significant pace.

Public sector staff trends survive MoU exit, change of government

By: Georgia Nakou

The latest figures from Greece’s public sector staff census show a continuation of the trends established during the latter part of the country’s financial crisis. While the numbers of permanent staff in the public sector remain static or slightly reduced compared to previous years, there have been steady increases in other categories, including temporary contract staff.

ND holds on to large poll lead despite growing public dissatisfaction

Two recent opinion polls confirm the political dominance of Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his New Democracy government amidst the pandemic and the tense relations with Turkey.

Many obstacles to clear in Greece's digital leap

By: Georgia Nakou

Announcing the establishment by Microsoft of a regional cloud computing hub in Greece, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that his government was focussing on “the digital transformation of government and the economy” as a critical step in achieving “Greece’s leap into the future, placing Greeks among the winners of the 4th industrial revolution”.

Greek government goes digital under lockdown, as more coronavirus clusters emerge

The coronavirus crisis has not been entirely without its positives for Greeks, one of which has been the acceleration of e-government and the provision of online services.