Today, for the fifth time, the annual cycle for the State of justice in Europe, with the publication of the relevant Report of the European Commission to capture the situation in each Member State, but also the European Union as a whole.

Its results are particularly positive for Greece, as for the first time progress can be seen in each of the recommendations formulated by the Commission in last year’s Report.

At the same time, the emblematic legislative intervention which ensures the participation of the Judiciary itself in the selection of its leadership, is hailed as a significant advance.

In particular, in this year’s exhibition:

– The steps to digitize justice and increase the efficiency and speed of its administration are recognized, for example through the revision of the country’s Judicial Charter and the Regulation of the Council of State. In addition, the priority that Greece has given to the utilization of the Recovery and Resilience Program to strengthen the Rule of Law and the consistent implementation of the relevant reforms is underlined.

– The further progress made by Greece in the field of combating corruption is recognized in a tangible and measurable way, while the perfection of the legislation on the cause of action which allows for a significant percentage of controls to be carried out, as well as the measures taken to enhance transparency, is highlighted and integrity in public procurement procedures.

– Further progress is being made in strengthening the administrative and legislative framework for the operation of the media, enhancing transparency around their ownership status and protecting freedom of speech and journalistic activity from malicious prosecution with quantifiable evidence, which will be further strengthened more so after the recent abolition of the offense of simple defamation from the Penal Code.

– Equally important is the progress made in improving the legislative process, which has increased the average time for public consultation, reduced amendments and eliminated last-minute amendments, as well as the number of regulations per amendment.

– Finally, the further progress made in the cooperation of the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum with Civil Society Organizations through the establishment of a structured dialogue that will lead to relevant legislative initiatives aimed at facilitating their activity, as well as the positive developments in terms of the interoperability of their public registration registers.

As every year, this year too, the Report records a series of recommendations as well as observations, which constitute a road map for prioritizing interventions in specific policy areas. The response of our country and the progress achieved in terms of this year’s recommendations, confirm that Greece looks forward to cooperation, first of all with the institutional partners and Civil Society, but also the European Commission and the other Member States, in the context of this continuous exercise of improving the functioning of the Rule of Law in Europe and of course in our country.