EU Rule of law report highlights Bekir Usta case group over Western Thrace minority rights
The report, published on 17 July, assesses developments related to the rule of law in all 27 EU member states as well as candidate countries Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
In the Greece country chapter, the European Commission referred to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments in the Bekir Usta and Others case group, noting that the decisions concerning violations of freedom of association have still not been fully implemented.
The Commission stated that the oldest leading judgment awaiting implementation has been pending for 18 years and concerns violations of the right to freedom of association.
The report also referenced written contributions submitted by the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) during the stakeholder consultation process. It further noted that Greece has not made sufficient progress in strengthening the environment in which civil society organizations operate, calling for the establishment of regular and structured dialogue mechanisms with civil society groups.
The report also addressed ongoing concerns regarding media freedom in Greece, including threats and attacks against journalists, the need to strengthen media pluralism, and the absence of adopted legislation addressing strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) targeting journalists and human rights defenders.
ABTTF President Halit Habipoğlu said the inclusion of the Bekir Usta and Others case group demonstrated that issues faced by the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace are increasingly being addressed not only as domestic matters in Greece but also within the European Union’s rule of law framework.
