In his statement, the Minister for the Interior, Akis Skertsos, referred to the latest Economist report, which ranks Greece for the second consecutive year among the 25 countries worldwide—out of 167—that are classified as “full democracies.” Skertsos emphasized that the fight for a better, more inclusive democracy is ongoing and never enough, underlining the efforts made by the government to guarantee democratic rights and protect citizens’ safety.

According to Skertsos, Greece regained this status last year after 14 years, thanks to collective efforts to overcome the major economic crisis and the deep political and social division that began in 2010 due to the debt crisis. He noted that this achievement is also attributed to institutional interventions in the functioning of the state, the independence of the judiciary, and the expansion of individual and social rights legislated and implemented by the current government since 2019.

While acknowledging that there is still room for improvement, Skertsos highlighted Greece’s place in a more exclusive category of just 13 EU member states classified by the Economist as full democracies. He also compared this to the 14 European Union countries that do not fall under this category, including France, Italy, Belgium, Cyprus, Malta, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Skertsos called for collective efforts to improve democracy and institutions, rejecting those who, whether intentionally or out of ignorance, fail to appreciate the democracy that has been fought for over the past 51 years. He also reminded the public that positive evaluations for improving the rule of law in Greece were received in 2024 from other credible international organizations, including the European Commission, the Council of Europe, and the OECD.