The government is moving forward with integrating the Urban Planning Services (YDOM) into the Cadastre, according to the new plan presented yesterday (27/11) at the cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister.

The plan stipulates that urban-planning design departments will remain within municipalities, while the responsibilities for issuing building permits and construction inspections will be transferred exclusively to the Cadastre. The goal is for the relevant legislation to be passed by the end of the first quarter of 2026.

With the new Organization, a nationwide system of licensing and inspections is established, where case management will be conducted digitally and with uniform rules. A risk-based supervision model will be implemented, where 30% of actions will be audited through algorithmic risk assessment, targeting areas with high rates of violations. At the same time, a double inspection procedure before the start of construction works is introduced, as well as a mandatory Construction Inspection Certificate upon completion of each project.

At the institutional level, the entire urban planning legislation is codified into 477 articles, and a Unified Digital Map is created, bringing together urban-planning, spatial, and environmental data into a single information framework.

According to sources, the transfer of urban-planning services from municipalities to the Cadastre is expected to provoke reactions from Local Government bodies. Indicative is the post by the mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, who speaks of an aggressive stance by the government toward municipalities.

The Ministry has published 14 questions and answers regarding the reform, which, as it notes, lays the foundation for creating a digital property “one stop shop,” meaning a single reference point offering unified application of the law, simplification, transparency, speed, and efficiency.

1. What is achieved with the new reform that transforms the Cadastre into a National Organization of Cadastre and Building Control (EOKED)?

The reform leads to faster service and more efficient distribution of workload, uniform application of legislation across the country, digitization, interoperability and simplification of procedures, gradual elimination of locality requirements, and the ability to be served remotely. Mainly, through the new organization of the Building Centers, equal access to building rights is ensured for everyone, regardless of which service they address. Transparency is achieved through modern digital tools and the use of artificial intelligence in reviewing building permits—implemented for the first time in the country. At the same time, the reform will strengthen the reliability of state institutions.

2. How does the citizen benefit from the creation of a single authority?

With the new Organization, citizens are served from a single administrative point for all matters relating to their real estate. They gain faster permit issuance, equal treatment regardless of the property’s geographic location, transparency, and fully digital services. Citizens will now enjoy legal certainty and equal access to universal building services.

3. Why was the reform of the Urban Planning Services necessary?

The reform is based on the need for a comprehensive mechanism for licensing and building control, using digital tools, uniform standards, and consistent procedures nationwide. The data from recent years prioritizes this organizational unification. Specifically:

• The current framework shows differences in procedure implementation and the availability of digital tools among regions.
• In a nationwide evaluation (05/2025), Urban Planning Services (YDOM) scored an average of 3.4/10, indicating the need for efficiency, simplification, and digitization.
• In 23% of YDOMs, the average time for issuing a building permit exceeds 3 months, with some complex cases taking over 5 years.
• Of 332 municipalities, only 185 currently have YDOM departments (approx. 56%).
• 147 municipalities have no YDOM, including 28 municipalities with over 25,000 residents and 14 with over 40,000 residents.
• About 35% of YDOMs operate with up to two engineers—insufficient to cover all required specialties.
• Some YDOMs serve multiple neighboring municipalities, in some cases up to 8–9.

All the above highlighted the need for a unified national authority.

4. What exactly is the National Organization of Cadastre and Building Control (EOKED) and what are its responsibilities?

EOKED is a unified digital national authority formed by merging the responsibilities of the Hellenic Cadastre and part of the responsibilities currently held by municipal YDOM services.

It represents the first large-scale reform of the sector since 2015, modernizing building services. Its creation establishes a “one-stop-shop” for all property-related matters, aiming for better organization of services related to ownership and building control.

The new authority will handle property documentation and guarantees, issuance of building permits and related acts, construction inspections, and enforcement of urban planning laws.

Its goal is to provide unified and consistent information to citizens, engineers, lawyers, and investors, creating—for the first time in Greece—a modern, fully digital authority combining all key functions related to ownership and the built environment.

5. Are all relevant responsibilities taken away from municipalities?

No. Municipalities retain crucial responsibilities in local urban planning, such as:

• conducting and monitoring urban planning studies, regenerations, and city plan extensions,
• managing public and utility spaces,
• participating in decisions on spatial planning, land uses, and Local Urban Plans,
• preparing diagrams and implementation acts, managing adjustment procedures, apportionments, consolidations, and registrations,
• proposing the lifting of expropriations and resolving conflicts with approved city plans,
• geometric and topographic applications.

Thus municipalities remain “guardians” of planning in their area, while issuing building permits and controlling the built environment are transferred to the new Organization.

Currently, 245 Local and Special Urban Plans covering 831 of the country’s 1,035 Municipal Units are nearing completion.

6. Is issuing building permits a responsibility of Central Government?

Yes. A recent Council of State ruling (CoS 1728/2025) clearly defines the division of responsibilities between municipalities and the central government. According to jurisprudence, issuing building permits is a central government function.

This reinforces the hierarchical separation of roles, though municipalities continue to handle various planning matters related to city planning.

7. What will the structure of the new Organization be?

A Governor will head the Organization, similar to EFKA and DYPA, with two Deputy Governors—one for Cadastre and one for building matters. Under the new General Directorate of Building, there will be 20 Regional Building Centers (PKD) and 77 Local Building Centers (TKD), utilizing current Cadastre Offices. This creates a modern national network of building services.

8. What is the role of independent building inspectors?

For the first time, a Registry of Independent Building Inspectors is created. Through a lottery system, they will conduct mandatory inspections of all permits before construction begins. If issues are found, the General Directorate of Building will perform the final review. This strengthens the integrity and reliability of permits.

9. When will the initial implementation begin and when will the new Organization be established?

Timeline:

• End of Q1 2026: Legislation passed
• June 2026: Initial operation of 3 Regional and corresponding Local Centers
• Early 2027: Full operation of EOKED and all PKD & TKD centers

Personnel transition will ensure job continuity.

10. How will EOKED support overall spatial planning?

The reform is part of a broader national strategy for organizing spatial planning and aligns with new institutional and digital frameworks:

• Codification of planning law into 477 articles—clear and uniform for the first time.
• Simplification and rationalization of the New Building Regulation.
• New digital licensing and dual-inspection framework using modern technologies.
• Unified Digital Map bringing together all planning, spatial, and environmental data.
• Integration of Cadastre and Building data for the first unified picture of development.

Thus EOKED is not just an administrative change; it is the operational foundation for a modern, digital, coherent spatial planning system with transparency and data-driven decisions.

11. What is the role of the Cadastre within EOKED?

The Cadastre is the core of EOKED.

With the reform, the Cadastre:

• documents and guarantees property rights digitally,
• provides the unified digital data framework for building processes,
• ensures interoperability between ownership and building data,
• supports the development of a digital one-stop-shop for real estate services,
• transforms Cadastre Offices into a network providing both cadastre and building-control services.

Overall, it unifies ownership–permitting–control, offering the first comprehensive picture of “where, what, and how” construction occurs in the country.

12. How will YDOM be functionally integrated into the Cadastre?

Integration occurs through EOKED:

• YDOM responsibilities transferred:
– issuing building permits
– pre-approvals and zoning condition certificates
– construction inspections
– enforcement of planning law

• A new Deputy Governorship for Building Centers is created, overseeing all PKD and TKD centers.
• YDOM staff are transferred with employment continuity.
• Current operations are identified, unified, and simplified via shared procedures, unified digital tools, central coordination, and interoperability with Cadastre data.

This is not merely a “transfer,” but a full organizational and digital unification.

13. Will YDOM offices relocate, and where will citizens be served?

Yes, but not as YDOM—these services will join the EOKED network.

• YDOM departments are abolished as independent municipal services.
• Their staff and functions are integrated into the 20 Regional and 77 Local Building Centers.
• These Centers will be housed in existing Cadastre Offices.
• Citizens will be served:
– at a single point per region (PKD or TKD),
– via fully digital services, with no locality restrictions,
– with unified procedures and equal treatment,
– accessing all ownership and building services in one physical and digital location.

Service provision shifts from municipalities to the national EOKED system.

14. What does “smart permit control using artificial intelligence” mean in practice?

The goal is to systematically review building permits using AI, ensuring more targeted and effective inspections.

Instead of random checks, the system will analyze available data to determine which cases are more likely to have issues (e.g., areas with illegal construction, protected zones, or complex projects).

AI will:

• review ~30% of permits—strategically, not randomly,
• identify high-risk cases,
• focus more on sensitive areas (historic sites, protected areas, areas with past violations).

In simple terms: the state will use an “intelligent filter” to highlight permits needing priority review, so issues are detected before construction begins, improving protection of space and the environment.