4th Annual Report on the Rule of Law in Greece

The 2024 edition once again offers a comprehensive overview of institutional performance and human rights protection in Greece, covering a wide range of areas: from legislative integrity and parliamentary transparency to data privacy, press freedom, the rights of refugees and migrants, police misconduct, and the country’s adherence to its international and EU obligations.

Following four years of continuous and rigorous monitoring of the conduct and responsiveness of state authorities, the Govwatch team is now in a position to draw a well-founded qualitative conclusion: in key areas, Greek institutions consistently fail to uphold the principles of legality, equality, and transparency.

This failure is compounded by a persistent absence of accountability for those in positions of power who are deemed responsible for such violations.

As emphasized by Stefanos Loukopoulos, Director of Vouliwatch and Govwatch:

“When the State itself erodes principles, procedures, and institutional safeguards, acting with authoritarianism, impunity, and legal inconsistency, it deepens public distrust in democratic institutions and sets society on a path of authoritarian regression, with consequences for democracy that are both profound and immeasurable.”

In its 2024 review, the Govwatch team highlights that Greece continues to exhibit systemic shortcomings in upholding legality, transparency, and accountability across several key domains:

Personal Data Protection: The Hellenic Data Protection Authority (DPA) imposed fines totaling nearly €3.8 million on ministries, public entities, and services including the Hellenic Post (ELTA), the Ministry of Migration, and the National Intelligence Service (EYP) for violations of data protection regulations.

Freedom of the Press: Greece remains at the bottom of the EU rankings in the Reporters Without Borders index, with new incidents of government interference, exclusion of media from broadcasting major trials, biased coverage of the Tempi train disaster, opaque hiring practices at the public broadcaster ERT, lack of institutional safeguards against SLAPP lawsuits, and police violence targeting journalists.

Rights of Refugees and Migrants: The year 2024 was marked by a surge in allegations of unlawful pushbacks – 2,010 incidents affecting 55,445 individuals. The Pylos shipwreck and findings by international organizations further underscored the urgent need for transparency and accountability in the handling of migration by Greek authorities.

Excessive Surveillance: Ongoing revelations surrounding the surveillance scandal revealed continued defiance by the EYP, which refused to comply with rulings by the Council of State. Meanwhile, the judicial investigation into the Predator spyware scandal remains incomplete, undermining the constitutional right to the confidentiality of communications.

Police Violence: The year was marked by dozens of incidents of police arbitrariness, with emblematic cases including the death of 37-year-old Mohammed Kamran in police custody, excessive force used against demonstrators, educators, and firefighters, and the continued absence of effective investigations by the competent authorities.

Legislative Integrity: Analysis of the lawmaking process revealed persistent and deeply rooted dysfunctions, such as the unjustified shortening of consultation periods, the submission of late or unrelated amendments, opaque procedures, and vague law titles that obscure the content of legislative proposals.

Non-Compliance with EU and International Obligations: Greece faced five referrals to the Court of Justice of the European Union and 25 condemnatory judgments by the European Court of Human Rights— most of them concerning violations of Article 3 of the ECHR (prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment).

Govwatch’s findings are not merely a compilation of isolated incidents.

They constitute evidence of a systemic pathology and an institutional crisis that undermines the very functioning of democracy. The need for immediate and meaningful reforms in lawmaking, accountability, and the protection of rights is now urgent and undeniable.