Council of State

The Council of State's plenary session has published the decision of the court which found that the law on which the government auction for the television licenses was based contravenes Greece's Constitution.

According to the decision, the law, brought by former State Minister Nikos Pappas, was against Article 15 of the Constitution.

The Greek government has backed down from its plans to introduce an interim bill that would allow TV stations to operate with temporary licenses, following opposition party New Democracy’s (ND) refusal to consent on the formation of the new National Council of Radio and Television (NCRTV) during the Parliamentary Council of Presidents session, Monday.

The Council of State ruled on Wednesday that the law on which the government auction for the television licenses was based contravenes Greece's Constitution.

With 16 votes in favour, and 9 against the extended Plenary session of the Council of State (CoS) has accepted the appeals submitted against the procedures that lead to the issuing of the recent TV licenses. The ruling focused on the the three stages that included the:
1. The basis of the appeals
2. Vested interest, and
3. Admissibility

A second session of the Council of State's plenary session on Friday, aimed at considering the appeals of television channels against a recent controversial auction of TV licenses, failed to achieve any progress amid growing tensions over the relationship between the judiciary and the government.

Police on Friday morning evacuated the building of the Council of State, Greece's highest administrative court, in central Athens and cordoned off the surrounding area after two newspapers received anonymous phone calls warning of a bomb.

The Council of State's plenary session was to convene Wednesday and again on Friday to decide on the appeals lodged by TV stations against the constitutionality of a recent auction of broadcasting licenses.

Council of State president Nikos Sakellariou on Thursday slammed two of the court's vice presidents for resigning from the Union of Judges and Prosecutors following his recent controversial decision to suspend a plenary session that was considering appeals by TV channels against the constitutionality of a recent government auction for broadcasting permits.

Two vice presidents of the Council of State on Wednesday quit the Union of Judges and Prosecutors, condemning last week's controversial decision by the president of the court, Nikos Sakellariou, to suspend a plenary session to consider appeals by television channels against the constitutionality of a recent government auction of TV licenses.

Two vice presidents of the Council of State have resigned from the Union of Judges and Prosecutors in the wake of a controversial decision by president of the court, Nikos Sakellariou, to suspend a plenary session last week to consider appeals by television channels against the constitutionality of a recent government auction of TV licenses.