Growing concerns over Rule of Law in Greece on the 25th Anniversary of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
As part of events marking the 25th anniversary of the proclamation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the significant decline in the rule of law situation in Greece has once again come into focus.
The Charter, which guarantees the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, was proclaimed on 7 December 2000 and became a binding primary source of EU law with the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty on 1 December 2009.
During an event organized by the Ministry of Justice in Athens to mark the anniversary, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis indirectly responded to criticism regarding his government’s record on the rule of law. Addressing remarks made by former Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, who had pointed to a deterioration in the rule of law, Mitsotakis argued that “the most objective evaluation of our performance in this field is the European Commission’s reports.”
ABTTF: “The rule of law is being seriously violated in Greece”
Commenting on the matter, Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), strongly criticized Greece’s practices concerning fundamental rights. While noting that the EU Charter provides strong theoretical guarantees, he stressed that significant problems persist in implementation across member states, with Greece standing out as a negative example.
Habip Oğlu stated: “Our country, Greece, which claims at every opportunity to be the cradle of democracy, is openly trampling on the principle of the rule of law. The Prime Minister’s speech shows that the government, instead of acknowledging the decline, is trying to mislead public opinion both domestically and in Europe.”
Highlighting Greece’s long-standing failure to comply with European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments, he referred to the Bekir Usta and Others group of cases concerning associations of the Western Thrace Turkish minority, noting that these rulings have remained unimplemented for nearly 18 years—a situation he described as a “systematic violation of the rule of law.”
The 25th anniversary of the EU Charter comes at a time of ongoing debate within the Union about the actual implementation of fundamental values, placing renewed scrutiny on Greece’s record on rule of law.
