During his opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to the changes coming to OSE (the Hellenic Railways Organization) through the Kyranakis bill.

The Prime Minister described “the upgrade of OSE’s safety level as a critical priority,” adding that “later today, the projects for the restoration of damages in Thessaly will be announced. The timeline is set at 15 months, and upon completion, the entire main railway axis will not only have remote control (telemanagement) but also an automatic braking system.”

Referring to the first successful tests of the ETCS system, Mr. Mitsotakis announced that “from September, it will be installed on every train traveling along the country’s main railway line.”

The Prime Minister also spoke about the establishment of a Unified Supervision Center, “which will monitor the trains with centimeter-level precision,” while also noting that “the new platform railway.gov.gr will soon be launched, open to all citizens to monitor the operation of train schedules.”

“Our goal is to restore trust in the trains,” Mr. Mitsotakis continued, speaking of “bold reforms, with a strict framework, flexibility in hiring, and more effective administration.”

“Our aim is for OSE to become a ‘new PPC’ (Public Power Corporation), which we inherited practically bankrupt but is now a leader in the energy market,” Mr. Mitsotakis added. He explained that “the new OSE will fully incorporate all EU recommendations, including those for RAS (the Regulatory Authority for Railways) and EODASAAM, because prevention of risks is just as important as dealing with them.”

Within this context, he also said that “all internal communications will be recorded in databases, and the performance of those in key responsibility positions — especially those handling human lives — will be better evaluated, including through psychometric testing.”

He also mentioned the “appropriate reinstatement of the position of the train supervisor” and the creation of a “new inspection unit that will be responsible for proposing sanctions in case of protocol violations,” adding that “the aim is a new culture with both incentives and sanctions to prevent tragic mistakes.”

“We are accelerating a modernization initiative for OSE — a project that demands consistency and some time. Many things will change, things that had not changed for decades,” Mr. Mitsotakis continued. Referring to Hellenic Train, he said that “it will be called upon to proceed with its own investments, particularly in acquiring new rolling stock.”

“As a state, we must respond to the collective grief with a project that will deliver real results. We have the strength to turn the page from a past that hurt Greek society,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis concluded.

The topics of the Cabinet meeting are:

Presentation by the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Konstantinos Kyranakis, of the draft law on railway safety and modernization.

Presentation by the Minister of National Economy and Finance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, along with Deputy Ministers Giorgos Kotsiras and Thanos Petralias, of the legislative initiatives:

a) Reform of the National Customs Code,
b) Reform of the fiscal management framework – Incorporation of Directive (EU) 2024/1265.

Presentation by the Minister of Justice, Giorgos Floridis, and Deputy Minister Ioannis Bougas, of the draft law for the reform of the Code of Civil Procedure.

Presentation by the Minister for Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, of the draft law for the incorporation of Directive (EU) 2022/2557 concerning the resilience of critical entities.

Presentation by the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Giannis Kefalogiannis, of a composite (miscellaneous) bill from his ministry.