Criteria set for sale of state assets to long-time squatters

A list of 70,000 state-owned land parcels and properties that are occupied by trespassers has been circulated to Greece’s ministries to identify assets that cannot be included in a scheme to sell them to the encroachers because they are intended for public interest.

However, even if it does not fall into this category, an asset cannot be sold unless it fulfills the following criteria: The encroachment must date to before 1980, the property must have been used for a main residence or business and the property cannot be in designated forestland, on a beach or in an area that has been classified as an archaeological site.