The report also referred to the non-execution of ECtHR judgments by Greece and the violation of the freedom of association of the Turkish community in Western Thrace.
The European Commission published the 2024 Rule of Law Report, which objectively and systematically analyses developments pertaining to the rule of law in the 27 EU Member States and EU accession countries.
The country report on Greece criticised the state of the rule of law in the country, but also noted some positive steps taken by the government. The report noted the adoption of a legislative proposal on the justice system in the country, which envisages the involvement of the judiciary in the appointments to the highest positions in the judiciary and drew attention to the persistence of serious difficulties regarding the length of cases before the civil courts of first instance and the Council of State.
The report indicated some progress in the adoption of non-legislative safeguards to improve the protection of journalists in the country but explained that concerns about media independence remain.
The report also noted that challenges remain with respect to the quality of the law-making process in Greece and that the independent authorities established under the constitution face challenges that could undermine their status and ability to fulfil their mandate effectively.
The report, which also refers to the violation of the freedom of association of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, stated that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments, which have been pending execution by Greece for more than 15 years, are related to the violation of the right to freedom of association due to the decisions of national courts not to register or dissolve associations on grounds that their purpose is to promote the idea that an ethnic minority exists in the country. In a footnote in the report, it is noted that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, in its resolution adopted at its meeting in December 2023, expressed its deep concern that following the legislative amendment adopted by Greece in 2017 allowing the reopening of the impugned proceedings, the applicants in the Bekir-Ousta and Others group have still not been reinstated, despite having exhausted the possibilities available to them within the domestic legal system.
The report includes recommendations for Greece, inter alia, to continue efforts to establish a solid record of prosecution and final verdicts in corruption cases, including high-level corruption, to further advance the process of adopting legal and non-legal safeguards to improve the protection of journalists, and to develop a structured dialogue with civil society organisations.
The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) actively participated in the consultation process for civil society organisations and other stakeholders regarding the European Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law Report and submitted its written contribution to the European Commission. In its written contribution where it conveyed the issues of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, ABTTF indicated that Greece has not executed the ECtHR judgements on the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases involving Western Thrace Turkish associations since 2008 despite the decisions and all warnings of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and violated the freedom of association of the Turkish community.
Please click below to access the 2024 Rule of Law Report on Greece published by the European Commission:
https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/6741f4b2-6a10-44ba-b40c-97a5a38e6827_en?filename=21_1_58062_coun_chap_greece_en.pdf
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