Civil procedure reform in Greece

By Nicolas Kanellopoulos*

Civil justice and enforcement procedures are among the most important aspects of a judicial reform with regard to economic security, contractual trust and good faith in any market.

Come the end of spring, the long-awaited and much-acclaimed bold reform of Greece’s weary civil justice system will at long last be realized and will radically amend the ways that our civil courts operate and their rulings are issued and executed.

The excessive delays of Greek justice, along with a sterile bureaucracy, hinder the Greek civil courts’ efficiency despite the high standards of decision making they adhere to.

The ongoing court deadlock stems primarily from the outdated procedure routines, the constantly delayed mandatory modernization of the judicial mechanism and the complete absence of out-of-court settlements.

The hearing dates fall short of everyone’s expectations. Civil and commercial disputes are heard up to two or three years after the suit has been filed and, in many cases, the right to temporary judicial protection is undermined.

Reform in progress

Fully aware of its historic responsibility, the Greek Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights has embarked on a continuous and coordinated attempt to modernize the country’s judicial system.

The effort has three basic axes:

* Review of the basic legal framework (basic codes).

* Promotion of alternative dispute resolution methods (mediation & pretrial conciliation).

* Implementation of a modern e-justice action plan.

The idea is to address with a more methodical approach and solve all the...