European Commission urges Greece to continue reforms to strengthen rule of law
The European Commission released its annual report on the rule of law in EU countries on Wednesday, stressing that Greece has made progress but calling on it to implement further reforms to improve the situation.
The Commission acknowledged Greece’s reforms aimed at strengthening the rule of law since last year’s report, but said the country needed to take further measures, particularly in the areas of corruption, media freedom and civil society.
The annually revised report assesses the functioning of the rule of law in five main areas: the judiciary, corruption, media freedom, the independence of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the quality of the legislative process.
With regard to media freedom, the report cited the decriminalization of defamation in the new Penal Code as a positive step toward protecting journalists from abusive lawsuits (SLAPPs), but noted the increase in penalties for defamation and stressed that “SLAPPs remain a concern for journalists,” highlighting in particular the “defamation lawsuit filed against media outlets and journalists who reported on the spyware case.
The report noted that verbal and physical attacks on journalists had decreased since the previous reporting period.
It called for further progress in the process of adopting safeguards to improve the protection of journalists, in particular with regard to abusive lawsuits against them and their safety, taking into account European standards.
The Commission urged Greece to continue its anti-corruption reforms and the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) for 2022-2025, which it described as “on track.”
It noted that, with the creation of a dedicated working group by the Ministry of Justice, “some further progress has been made in establishing a track record of prosecutions and final judgments in corruption cases, including high-level corruption cases” and that, in general, the legal framework against corruption has been strengthened.
However, it noted that the perception of corruption in the country among citizens and businesses remains high, well above the EU average.
Regarding civil society, the Commission noted improvements in the process of registering NGOs in the register of civil society organizations. Nevertheless, the Commission underlined that “concerns about the space for civil society remain,” in particular “concerns about civil society organizations working with refugees and asylum seekers.”
The report cited instances of public calls for Greece to establish a legal framework so that organizations and individuals working with refugees can carry out their work without fear of persecution.
