The Ministry of Justice leadership is pursuing a multifaceted effort to reduce delays in the delivery of justice—delays that have at times amounted to denial of justice—and to resolve longstanding issues plaguing both the internal workings of the judiciary and its stakeholders: litigants, witnesses, citizens, and lawyers.

But the Ministry’s initiatives don’t stop there. In the final stages of preparation are the following five draft bills:

1. New Civil Procedure Code, aiming to issue a final decision within 650 days, compared to 1,492 days currently.
2. Comprehensive reform of inheritance law.
3. New framework for alternative dispute resolution, including mediation, judicial mediation, and arbitration.
4. Reform of the legal guardianship framework (Articles 1666–1686 of the Civil Code).
5. Reform of the Lawyers’ Code, including a key provision that bar admission exams will be conducted by the Ministry of Justice rather than the local bar associations.

In a relatively short time, Minister of Justice George Floridis, Deputy Minister Ioannis Bougas, and Secretary General Pelopas Laskos have made remarkable strides in transforming the justice system.

One of the most notable innovations introduced by Mr. Floridis is the new judicial map, which, though still in its final reform stages, has already begun yielding measurable results.

The new judicial map optimizes judicial human resources by increasing first-instance judges to 2,100, following the integration of all peace judges (ειρηνοδίκες) into the country’s courts of first instance.

According to Just Stat (Ministry of Justice statistics), in the first quarter of implementing the new judicial map (October–December 2024), the case clearance rate at the Athens Court of First Instance—the largest in the country—rose from 68% to 82%.

The Ministry estimates that collaboration between former peace courts and trial courts will increase efficiency by 7%–17% annually, and clearance rates at courts of first instance will grow by 14%–24%.

In the interim measures section of the Athens Court of First Instance, the time to schedule hearings for temporary orders has dropped from 15 days to just 2, allowing almost immediate action. The faster pace of justice has also benefited from the transfer of certain judicial responsibilities to lawyers, with more expected soon under a new bill in progress.

Innovations in High Courts

Significant reforms have also been made at the country’s three highest courts: the Council of State, the Supreme Court (Areios Pagos), and the Court of Audit.

At the Council of State, a long-unused procedural rule allowing cases to be adjudicated by judicial councils has been reinstated. However, litigants may still request a full hearing by paying a higher court fee.

The Court of Audit has reduced the number of cases handled in its preliminary process from 16,501 to 1,244. Simultaneously, administrative courts (both trial and appellate levels) have seen significant time improvements.

Judicial Personnel

Judicial staffing has increased nationwide, both in terms of judges and support staff:

– At the Supreme Court, all 88 judge positions are now filled.
– At the civil courts of appeal, only 6 of 592 positions remain vacant.
– At the civil courts of first instance, 76 of 2,083 positions are vacant.

In administrative courts, only 4 of 355 positions at the appellate level and 1 of 637 at the trial level remain unfilled.

In August, an additional 350 court employees will be appointed.

Court Infrastructure

The Ministry is also making strides in court infrastructure. Its construction program budget stands at €450 million.

Following the implementation of the new judicial map and the closure of certain courts, 15 court buildings (owned by the Legal Fund for Judicial Buildings – TAXDIK), worth €4 million, were handed over to municipalities and the police.

Digitization

The Ministry’s digitization program has a total budget of €220 million, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility and EU Structural Funds (ESPA).

Community Service Platform

A digital platform for community service has been launched, allowing municipalities, public entities, and hospitals to post vacancies. This enables courts to impose community service instead of prison sentences for minor offenses, integrating offenders into socially beneficial work.

Juvenile Delinquency

Special focus has been placed on juvenile delinquency, which has recently spiked. A youth-friendly legal framework now allows juvenile offenders, instead of receiving traditional sentences, to participate in sports programs and join youth clubs, fostering their moral development, education, and social reintegration through sports, culture, and the arts.