ABTTF President: “The statements made at the meeting, which was also attended by the Minister of Justice, are common knowledge. Our country must heed the constructive warnings of the EU and the Council of Europe and take the necessary steps without further delay to address the systematic violation of the rule of law’’.
Greece’s national representative to the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and Director of the Presidential Legal Office Konstantinos Kousoulis noted in a speech at a meeting held at the Ministry of Justice that the Greek judicial system faces issues of lack of independence, low efficiency, long trial periods and weak public confidence.
Kousoulis indicated that Greece’s judicial system has ranked among the lowest in terms of efficiency for many years, both among European Union (EU) Member States and among Council of Europe member and observer states. He noted that the time taken to resolve cases is up to five times the EU average and that the country’s justice system ranks last in terms of digitalisation.
‘‘As stated by the Director of the Presidential Legal Office, Kousoulis, the very serious issues experienced in our country Greece, regarding the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law are clearly stated in the reports of supranational organisations. chapter section on our country in the European Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law Report directly refers to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments in the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases, which have not been executed for over 17 years, confirming the decline in the rule of law and judicial independence in our country in recent years. What was stated at the meeting, which was also attended by the Minister of Justice, is common knowledge, and our country must heed the constructive warnings of the EU and the Council of Europe and take the necessary steps without further delay to address the systematic violation of the rule of law’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
