Legal Disputes by Greek State Over Private Properties Suspended for 6 Months

The Greek state will suspend any legal claims against private properties until September 2025 submitted to the Greek land registry, according to an amendment introduced in Parliament by the Minister of Finance Kostis Hatzidakis.

The relevant amendment, which aims to resolve property ownership disputes and provide clarity on land rights affecting thousands of Greeks, also includes the suspension of pending lawsuits that have already been filed.

Under this provision, no new lawsuits will be filed, and ongoing cases will be temporarily halted for six months. The General Secretariat of Public Property will soon issue official instructions to all relevant state land registry services regarding the implementation of this measure.

The lawsuits filed by the state sought to claim ownership of private properties or even entire areas based on historical documents, some dating as far back as the Ottoman era.

The number of such lawsuits has surged in recent months, as the completion of the Greek land registry (national cadastre) approaches and deadlines for filing correction claims regarding initial land registry entries near expiration.

Notably, most of these lawsuits are dismissed as unfounded. The Supreme Court has ruled that documents from the Ottoman period alone are insufficient for a lawsuit to be upheld. Instead, the state must provide proof of ownership, such as legal title, actual possession, or continuous use.

However, lawsuits continue to be filed because clear and uniform criteria have yet to be established to determine when such claims should be pursued or dismissed. This lack of guidelines affects both the administration and the Legal Council of the State (CoS).

These criteria—based on Supreme Court rulings—will be formally established through the forthcoming comprehensive legislative intervention in the coming period, providing clear guidelines for the administration and the Legal Council of the State regarding when the government should assert property claims and when it should refrain from legal disputes with citizens.

As a result, many of the pending lawsuits, which are now temporarily suspended, may be withdrawn by the state, thereby reducing unnecessary legal struggles, administrative burdens, and judicial workload.

Source: tovima.com