The “Electronic Objection Platform” was presented today at the Ministry of Justice during a special event attended by Minister of Justice George Floridis and Deputy Minister of Justice Ioannis Bougas.
There are 36,500 appeals pending in the courts, of which 33,000 are in the Athens Court of First Instance and the remainder in the courts of Thessaloniki, Piraeus, Ioannina, Messolonghi, Chania, Corinth, etc.
The ultimate goal of creating the “Electronic Objection Platform” is to bring forward by ten years the resolution of the 36,500 pending objections in the courts against payment orders and enforcement proceedings, that is, both against auctions and against creditor ranking lists, for which hearings are scheduled as far out as 2039.
The problem is acute in the Athens Court of First Instance, where the relevant hearings for these appeals extend as far as 2039. This delay negatively impacts the economy, as it holds hostage not only creditors but also citizens, businesses, and others.
The implementation of the “Electronic Objections Platform” will begin on September 1, 2026, so that by then judges, lawyers, and court clerks have been briefed on the matter, and all pending oppositions will have been adjudicated by 2029 at the latest.
The submission of the application for reconsideration to the court will be done electronically, with an immediate assignment of a filing number (GAK and EAK) and simultaneous transmission of the filing document to the lawyer.
Thus, the lawyer is no longer required to go to court and file in person, while the submission of pleadings and supporting documents can also be done electronically, saving time and reducing costs for the lawyer. In fact, because the process is fully electronic, there are no provisions for requests for postponements, so cases will be heard and decisions issued without delays.
Justice Minister Floridis stated during the platform’s presentation:
“The most tantalizing news in the justice sector, when someone wants to write about it, is that the much-touted acceleration the Ministry of Justice claims to have achieved is a fairy tale, given that appeals cases are scheduled to be heard in 2038. Indeed, it is true.
However, this is a process that primarily concerns foreclosures, where, of course, protection in cases of urgent need is provided immediately by the Greek courts, and therefore we are not treating citizens involved in this process in an unfavorable manner.
However, this situation—which is a black hole in our system, a system that, following the changes we have made, is performing impressively in terms of speeding up the issuance of decisions—had to be addressed.
For this reason, we have collaborated with judicial authorities and lawyers to organize this platform in order to expedite the adjudication of these pending cases.
With this tool, we hope that these cases will be rescheduled for trial starting in 2038, and no later than 2028—that is, up to 10 years earlier. I believe this is yet another important step that can significantly clear up past cases and integrate this process into the new course being followed by the Greek justice system, which is yielding very significant results.”
At the same time, Deputy Minister of Justice Mr. Bougas stated:
“We have cases in the Athens Court of First Instance that are scheduled to be heard as late as 2038–39. We must effectively address this large volume of cases without limiting the financial rights of the parties.
The measures concern approximately 36,500 cases pending in Greek courts. Of these, approximately 33,000 are pending in the Athens Court of First Instance. Other courts of first instance affected include the country’s major courts of first instance, such as those in Piraeus, Thessaloniki, and Ioannina, as well as the parallel seat in Messolonghi.
We hope that their adjudication will be completed by 2028, so that these major backlogs can be resolved and there will be no major issues with the pending appeals. Of those pending, it is estimated that approximately 35% to 40% will be determined and discussed.
Once this pending matter is also resolved, we will be able to say with certainty that the initial goal we had set—to have a final decision issued within approximately 700 days by the end of the current government’s term—will not only be achievable, but will constitute a major victory for the Greek state and the justice system.”