“Justice is gaining greater prestige and more resources to fulfill its role. The voices heard in public debate are those that cannot praise the changes or at least identify any shortcomings; instead, they easily invoke supposed dead ends and anger, and if these take root in public opinion, then lies will replace truth. We cannot allow noise to cover the reality of the reforms,” emphasized Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the annual review event of the Ministry of Justice, titled: “Greek Justice in Acceleration.”

At the same time, the Prime Minister stated that “Greece is living through a period of reforms that are not simply announced but actually implemented. Justice is a priority in government reforms.”

Giorgos Floridis

For his part, Minister of Justice Giorgos Floridis stated:

“The major changes in Justice were achieved in a particularly difficult and complex period, during which the judicial authority itself was being challenged by forces deliberately equating it with the executive branch. Yet, despite unjust criticism and adversity, Justice moved forward, reforming and upgrading its operation and speed in the delivery of rulings.”

More specifically, Mr. Floridis highlighted that the Ministry of Justice had the decisive support of the Prime Minister and added: “Justice is subject to criticism for shortcomings—rightly so, to the extent that they are its responsibility. And those who judge are themselves judged. However, there are those who attempt to drag Justice into an incomprehensible conspiracy narrative. This gravely undermines it. It is a major institutional misstep to entangle Justice in political competition. Justice must remain undistracted from political rivalries. Undermining the identity of Justice leads to a deep crisis.”

The Minister also noted:

“Greek Justice has utilized the major changes of 2024–25, and with the new Judicial Map as its guide, it is delivering significant results. In the first year of implementation, data shows that the time needed for issuing decisions by the Courts of First Instance has been reduced by half—from 705 days to 364 days. From two years to one year. Notably, the improvement applies to 92% of the judicial workload nationwide.”

Regarding the reduction in decision-delivery times, he cited statistical data:

“Athens Court of First Instance, the largest in the country, shows spectacular improvement, with estimated decision time reduced from four years to 1.5 years. Significant improvement is also seen in Thessaloniki, where the time dropped from 12 to 7.5 months, and in Piraeus, from 12 to 9 months.

The estimated average time for decisions outside Athens is 250 days—better than the average of Council of Europe member states. The target set for 2027 has been achieved already in 2025, two years earlier.

The goal of accelerating Justice was designed and implemented systematically, and it is paying off through the cooperation of all: the Ministry of Justice, judges, lawyers, notaries, and court employees.”

He then referred to Eleftherios Venizelos’s optimistic and nationally confident prediction for the development of the Greek state, made in his famous speech on the 100th anniversary of Greek independence—namely, that Greece would continue to grow over the next hundred years despite the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922.

He combined Venizelos’s national optimism with an illustrative example of similar progress in the Justice sector: “from the itinerant magistrate of refugee New Orestiada in 1922, to today’s Court of First Instance of New Orestiada, and to the modern and emblematic new Court Complex of Piraeus, with which Greek Justice enters its third century since the establishment of the modern Greek state.”

Finally, Mr. Floridis thanked all contributors from the parliamentary, judicial, and legal community for their creation, cooperation, and support of the enormous reform effort in Justice over the past two years, stressing that above all, these changes are driven forward by the will and action of determined political figures for the benefit of citizens.

Ioannis Bougas

Deputy Minister of Justice Ioannis Bougas emphasized that “the reforms of the Ministry of Justice strengthen transparency, accountability, and citizens’ trust in the judicial system, contribute to economic development, and reinforce the Rule of Law, enhancing citizens’ confidence in an institution that constitutes a pillar of Democracy.”

Mr. Bougas underscored that Justice is at the center of society and the economy every day. However, “There is no problem so big that it cannot be solved, nor any citizen’s problem so small that it can be ignored.”

He continued: “The Prime Minister’s mandate was clear: by the end of the four-year term, the process for issuing court decisions must reach the EU average of 700 days, compared to 1,492 days in 2023.”

He referred to the important reforms being implemented by the Government “to ensure more effective and faster Justice.” He particularly stressed the importance of reducing delays, noting that they directly harm citizens and negatively impact the economy.

He also presented the first positive, measurable results of the Ministry’s key reforms, such as the implementation of the Judicial Map, rational spatial planning of courts, reform of procedural and substantive law, digitalization of processes, and strengthening of alternative dispute resolution methods.

Finally, he emphasized major investments in court infrastructure aimed at creating safe, modern, and functional courthouses capable of meeting the needs of today’s citizens. He made special reference to training and strengthening human resources, and highlighted trust in lawyers as co-functionaries of Justice.

The event was held at the National Insurance Conference Center (Syngrou Avenue) in the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic Konstantinos Tasoulas, the Prime Minister, ministers, MPs, the leadership of the Supreme Courts, judges, and legal professionals.

The main pillars of the Ministry of Justice’s work presented in the related video were:

• Judicial Map: Results of Courts of First Instance, Council of State – Administrative Justice – Court of Audit
• Institutional strengthening of the Judicial Map (Code of Civil Procedure and transfer of judicial workload to lawyers–notaries)
• Digital transformation (Integrated Information Systems, Teleconferences, Electronic Case File, Wills)
• Infrastructure Program for Attica and the Regions
• Major reform of Inheritance Law
• Reorganization of the Forensic Service
• Special Secretariat for Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Child-Friendly Justice
• Greece and strengthening of the Rule of Law