The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke in the plenary session of the Parliament discussing the bill “Unification of first instance jurisdiction, spatial restructuring of the courts of civil and criminal justice, and other provisions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice”.

Key points from the Prime Minister’s speech:

– Justice delayed is justice denied; it ultimately burdens those seeking its protection.
– Addressing fragmentation in Attica: consolidating 20 magistrate courts into five.
– Aim for practical outcomes: greater speed.
– Leave behind the practices of the ’50s and ’60s when courts were established based on pressure from local political figures.
– In the first instance, there are two types of courts; the 154 magistrate courts contribute to uneven distribution of judicial cases. 44% of the workforce handles only 20% of the cases.
– All this occurs while Greece has more judges per capita on average.
– To render a decision takes 1,450 days, whereas the EU average is 650 days.
– In Greece, we not only have delays but also obstruction.
– This delay becomes an excuse for some to challenge the rule of law.
– When a decision takes 4-5 years to come out, a citizen loses trust in justice.
– This reform injects dynamic energy into the stagnant Greek justice system. A phenomenon that intersects with inertia, creating a vicious cycle for citizens.
– Personally, I would define any significant change that has been delayed due to bottlenecks as reform.
– I consider the bill not just a significant reform but a historic turning point in addressing a perennial problem, with the initial goal, as stated, to issue judicial decisions in significantly shorter timeframes and rationalize the judicial map by adding approximately 1000 judges to the front line.