Joint Civil Society Submission to the European Commission on the 2023 Rule of Law Report January 2023

The independent CSOs, Vouliwatch, Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), HIAS Greece, Generation 2. 0 (Second Generation / Institute for Rights, Equality, Diversity) and Reporters United, in the context of concerns about Greece's systematically problematic approach to key aspects of the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights, have compiled a list of indicative violations of the rule of law in Greece for the year 2022. In this report Vouliwatch highlights cases where Greece has failed to comply with the principles of the rule of law in the areas of:

The justice system (issues with the independence, the quality and the speed of the justice system);

The fight against corruption, (issues with (a lack of) prevention measures; transparency and accountability of political money; audit institutions; public procurement & direct awards; lack of protection for whistleblowers etc.);

Freedom of the press (cases of government or political interference in the media; issues with the transparency and ownership of media outlets, and a lack of transparency in state advertising; a lack of pluralism at the Athens News Agency, and the intimidation of journalists - through police intimidation or legal actions (SLAPPs), as well as the state surveillance of journalists);

Good legislation (the unlawful restriction of consultation periods; the misuse of amendments; the failure to adopt delegated acts; the discriminatory application of COVID-19 pandemic response measures & fines- such as against refugees);

The independence of the Independent Authorities (the limitation of the resources and powers of the Ombudsman and audit institutions; the questioning of their constitutional mandate and the serious lack of effectiveness of their investigations, including national issues such as the use of illegal spying software or illegal push backs);

The lack of institutional support for civil society (such as arbitrary and disproportionate registration requirements for NGOs working with refugees and migrants, a hostile media narrative and the criminalisation of NGOs and human rights defenders);

And finally, the gradual undermining of the culture of the rule of law through the direct or indirect denigration of international and EU institutions and investigating bodies.