At the first cabinet meeting of his new team Mitsotakis stressed that the motto for their efforts is "faster and bolder".

The prime minister reshuffled the Cabinet Friday amid falling approval ratings, a week after the government overcame a no-confidence vote over its handling of a deadly 2023 train disaster, which has sparked protests in Athens and other cities since January.

Mitsotakis changed the heads of several top ministries including finance, transport, migration and civil protection.

The foreign and defence ministers were unchanged.

Regarding the economy, Mitsotakis emphasised a Moody's upgrade on Friday amid "international volatility and great economic uncertainty"

"At this juncture, Greece still has one of the highest growth rates in Europe. It is first in employment growth among the 27 (EU) countries," said Mitsotakis.

"I think it is also proof of the importance of stability in the country, but also of the right course that our government has set", he said.

Moody's on Friday upgraded Greece's credit rating, pulling the country out of junk territory.

Along with the ratings elevation from Ba1 to Baa3, Moody's changed its outlook for Greece from positive to stable.

The other two major ratings agencies, S&P and Fitch, elevated Greece above junk status last year for the first time since 2010.

The prime minister said the new ministers tasked with infrastructure and transportation have made a personal commitment to drive major change.

The government has blamed state and human errors for the February 28, 2023 train crash when a train travelling from Athens to Thessaloniki carrying more than 350 passengers collided with a freight train at Tempe, near the central city of Larissa.

The two trains had travelled towards each other on the same track for miles without triggering any alarms. The disaster was blamed on faulty equipment and human error.

A protest held on the second anniversary of the tragedy drew hundreds of thousands of people nationwide, and has been described as the biggest demonstration in Athens since the fall of the Greek dictatorship in 1974.

An experts' report funded by the victims' families has claimed the freight train was carrying an illegal and unreported load of explosive chemicals, contributing to the high death toll.

Greece's state aviation and railway safety investigation agency last month said there was a "possible presence" of an "unknown fuel" at the scene which killed some survivors of the collision by triggering an "enormous ball of fire".

The train's operator, Hellenic Train, has denied knowledge of any illegal cargo.

Recent polls have found a broad majority of Greeks suspect the government is trying to cover up the case for which more than 40 people have been prosecuted.

A trial is not expected before year's end.

Speeding up migrant returns

Regarding migration policy, Mitsotakis said Saturday priority would be given to the return of undocumented migrants who do not have asylum.

"These developments require new measures requiring very correct and 'heavy' legal preparation. At the same time, legal, controlled migration must be given a more functional framework", Mitsotakis stressed.

Greece has seen a 25 percent increase in 2024 in the number of migrants arriving, with a 30 percent increase to Rhodes and the southeast Aegean, according to the migration ministry.

kan/cw

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