The leadership at the Ministry of Justice is undertaking a comprehensive initiative to alleviate delays in the administration of justice, which have sometimes resulted in a denial of justice. They aim to address longstanding challenges affecting the judiciary, as well as its stakeholders: litigants, witnesses, citizens, and lawyers.
Furthermore, the Ministry is in the process of finalizing five significant draft bills:
1. A new Civil Procedure Code designed to ensure a final decision within 650 days compared to the current average of 1,492 days.
2. A thorough reform of inheritance law.
3. A new framework for alternative dispute resolution, encompassing mediation, judicial mediation, and arbitration.
4. Reform of the legal guardianship framework (Articles 1666–1686 of the Civil Code).
5. Amendments to the Lawyers’ Code, including a major change where bar admission exams will be administered by the Ministry of Justice, rather than local bar associations.
In a short span, Minister of Justice George Floridis, Deputy Minister Ioannis Bougas, and Secretary General Pelopas Laskos have made significant advancements in overhauling the justice system.
One of the most significant innovations introduced by Mr. Floridis is the new judicial map, which, although still in the final stages of reform, has begun to demonstrate measurable improvements.
This new judicial map enhances the allocation of judicial resources by increasing the number of first-instance judges to 2,100, integrating all peace judges (ειρηνοδίκες) into the country’s first-instance courts.
According to Just Stat (Ministry of Justice statistics), during the first quarter of the new judicial map’s implementation (October–December 2024), the case clearance rate at the Athens Court of First Instance—the country’s largest—improved from 68% to 82%.
The Ministry anticipates that the collaboration between former peace courts and trial courts will boost efficiency by 7%–17% annually, and increase clearance rates in first-instance courts by 14%–24%.
In the interim measures section of the Athens Court of First Instance, the time required to schedule hearings for temporary orders has drastically reduced from 15 days to just 2, enabling nearly immediate action. The expedited pace of justice has also been enhanced by delegating certain judicial responsibilities to lawyers, with more transfers expected under a pending bill.
Innovations in High Courts
Significant changes have also been implemented in the three highest courts of the land: the Council of State, the Supreme Court (Areios Pagos), and the Court of Audit.
The Council of State has reinstated a previously unused procedural rule that allows cases to be heard by judicial councils. However, litigants can still opt for a full hearing by paying a higher court fee.
The Court of Audit has significantly decreased its preliminary caseload from 16,501 to 1,244, while administrative courts—both trial and appellate levels—have experienced notable time reductions.
Judicial Personnel
There has been a nationwide increase in judicial staffing, both in judges and support personnel:
– The Supreme Court is now fully staffed with 88 judges.
– At the civil courts of appeal, only 6 out of 592 positions remain vacant.
– In civil courts of first instance, there are 76 vacancies among 2,083 positions.
In administrative courts, only 4 of 355 appellate positions and 1 of 637 trial positions are unoccupied. An additional 350 court employees will be appointed in August.
Court Infrastructure
The Ministry is also making progress in enhancing court infrastructure, with a construction program budget of €450 million.
Following the implementation of the new judicial map and the closure of certain courts, 15 court buildings valued at €4 million—owned by the Legal Fund for Judicial Buildings (TAXDIK)—were transferred to municipalities and police departments.
Digitization
The Ministry’s digitization initiative has a total budget of €220 million, supported by the Recovery and Resilience Facility and EU Structural Funds (ESPA).
Community Service Platform
A digital community service platform has been launched to enable municipalities, public entities, and hospitals to post vacancies. This allows courts to assign community service rather than prison sentences for minor offenses, facilitating integration into socially useful work.
Juvenile Delinquency
Special attention has been given to the rise in juvenile delinquency. A youth-friendly legal framework now encourages juvenile offenders to engage in sports programs and youth clubs instead of receiving traditional penalties, promoting their moral development, education, and social reintegration through activities in sports, culture, and the arts.
Ask me anything
Explore related questions
