European Commission draft report includes negative remarks on rule of law in Greece

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – A draft of the European Commission’s annual Rule of Law Report for member states includes negative remarks about Greece, local media reported Monday.

The report, which is expected to be released later this week, highlights problems regarding the operation of the justice system and independent authorities, freedom of the press and the wiretapping scandal which involved many politicians, civil and military bureaucrats, journalists and businessmen and became public in 2022, according to the To Vima daily.

The report notes the continued lack of a new framework which would permit jurists to participate in the selection of the justice system’s leadership so that such decisions would not be solely dependent on the government.

It also draws attention to the modest to low level of trust by Greek citizens in the judiciary’s independence, which is around 40%.

The report also warns that the number of decisions by the European Court of Human Rights not implemented by Greece is growing instead of decreasing.

The report also refers to the problems presented by the Hellenic Authority for Communication Security (ADAE) and Privacy and the Hellenic Data Protection Authority during their investigation into the wiretapping scandal.

The report’s negative comments in this section are over press freedom and lawsuits against journalists by politicians, which it didn’t name.

More particularly on the scandal, the report notes that the investigation has not been completed and cites criticism and demands for light to be shed on it.

“According to the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Safety of Journalists, information on the progress of criminal investigations into the wiretapping case is insufficient. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe urged Greece to conduct an effective, independent and timely investigation into all cases of spyware abuse and to provide judicial redress to victims,” it said.