The Minister of State, Akis Skertsos, met with the competent Commissioner, Michael McGrath, in Brussels, ahead of this year’s Rule of Law Report, to reassess Greece’s documented progress on the four recommendations of the European Commission included in last year’s Rule of Law Report during their meeting in Brussels.
Skertsos & McGrath meeting in Brussels: “Greece has managed to reduce the initial 7 recommendations made to it to 4”
Since 2019, Greece has taken very seriously the recommendations of the annual reference report for each EU member state, due to its comparative nature aimed at harmonizing all European states with best practices, as well as the presumption of institutional impartiality it possesses. In recent years our country has managed to reduce the initial 7 recommendations made to it to 4 and belongs to only 12 EU countries that showed progress on all recommendations in 2025 and to the 15 EU countries with 4 recommendations and below.
Having cooperated very closely and constructively with the Commission, the government improved Greece’s performance: in combating corruption, with the implementation of the digital registry for monitoring corruption cases, in protecting media freedom and journalists, with the incorporation of critical European directives and strengthening the institutional framework, in structured dialogue with civil society, through institutionalized consultation with organizations active in the field of migration, and in good legislation, with the elimination of overdue and irrelevant amendments and strict adherence to public consultation rules.
All of the above demonstrate the government’s unwavering commitment to improving the rule of law in Greece and the importance of political stability, which functions as the necessary condition for implementing complex reforms in this direction.
Skertsos: “Government proposal for constitutional reform with 32 proposed changes and additions”
In the press conference that followed, the Minister of State also referred to the government’s proposal for constitutional reform with 32 proposed changes and additions, many of which aim to further improve democracy, institutions and the rule of law in our country, in harmony with best international and European practices.
He also pointed out that over the last 4 years Greece has recorded improved performance in corresponding important reports by other credible, independent organizations that assess the state of rule of law (reports by the OECD on combating corruption, Transparency International, the Economist and the Council of Europe).
Particularly noteworthy, according to Mr. Skertsos, is also the fact that from 2019 to date, 368 new rights have been legislated and enshrined, with the most recent and emblematic of all being the extension of postal voting to national elections, following its first application in European elections and the securing of voting rights for Greeks of the diaspora.
Of particular importance is the contribution of the European Recovery and Resilience Facility, through which the government is implementing an ambitious program of investments and reforms for the rule of law, acceleration in the administration of justice, consolidation of rights and tackling corruption, with 39 investment and reform milestones, of which 20 reforms and 8 investments have already been completed (72%). The remaining 11 RRF commitments are progressing well towards implementation by the end of the program.
Skertsos on OPEKEPE: “Greek authorities have conducted extensive checks”
Regarding the cooperation of Greek authorities with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Minister of State reminded of the stable and full institutional support the government provides to its work and mission, responding to all requests it has submitted for its institutional strengthening (increase of prosecutors from 7 to 13, establishment of financial incentives, administrative support, regulatory interventions for tightening penalties, etc.). Mr. Skertsos, responding to a question about the issues raised by the European Chief Prosecutor in her letter, mentioned that the issue of renewing prosecutors’ terms concerns a legal difference of opinion between the independent Greek Justice system and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, in which the government cannot interfere, respecting the independence and self-administration of Justice. In the case of accelerating procedures for political figures, there was agreement from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office — publicly from Ms. Kovesi herself — when this proposal was presented to her, as well as at a technical level from her associates, who agreed with the final form of the regulation that was voted. In essence, the regulation, as the Minister of State said, does not affect the competencies of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office at all, but only accelerates the examination time of these cases and upgrades to the appellate level the degree of the examining magistrate who evaluates the case evidence.
The Minister of State emphasized, however, that the developments of the last week, which on one hand already led to the archiving of 2 out of 13 cases and on the other hand brought to light an expert report that limits the scope of estimated damage by 9/10 to the level of simple misdemeanors and which was not brought to the attention of the competent parliamentary committee in time, raise issues regarding the formal and substantive guarantee of the fundamental right and simultaneously the obligation to a fair trial. An obligation from which the European Public Prosecutor’s Office is naturally not exempt.
Regarding illegal agricultural subsidies from OPEKEPE, Mr. Skertsos pointed out that Greek authorities have conducted extensive checks that have resulted in 2,900 controlled tax numbers, the dismantling of 5 criminal organizations throughout Greece and the prosecution of 1,151 individuals, with 94 arrests, 52 account seizures for damage of 14 million euros out of 69 million euros estimated damage.
Kirmikiroglu: “Greece has implemented more than 50 actions to strengthen media freedom and pluralism”
The General Secretary for Communication and Information, Dimitris Kirmikiroglu, who participated earlier in the meeting with the European Commissioner, in the press conference referred to the holistic strategy of the General Secretariat for Communication and Information, focusing on the axes of transparency, media sustainability and journalist safety, in full connection with the European Democracy Shield. He emphasized that the country has implemented more than 50 actions to strengthen media freedom and pluralism. Specifically, he presented the legislative initiative against abusive lawsuits (SLAPP), with the extension of guarantees even to purely domestic cases, the incorporation of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) into Greek law, the modernization of ERT governance based on corporate governance standards and management selected through open and merit-based competition, as well as legislative changes for the decriminalization of simple defamation, in alignment with recommendations from the Council of Europe and the UN Human Rights Committee. He also referred to the first multi-annual support mechanism for media sustainability, approved in close cooperation with the European Commission with transparent and merit-based criteria, to the International Center for Journalist Safety operating at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in cooperation with OSCE and UNESCO, to the National Action Plan for Journalist Safety and the National Strategy for Media Education, as well as further initiatives, such as the licensing of regional television stations, which establishes clear obligations for transparency, pluralism and quality journalistic content.
