Greece

In the Article 24 of the Constitution of Greece, the protection of the environment (natural and cultural) is recognised as a duty of the State and as a right of every person. The State is further obliged to adopt special preventive or repressive measures for the preservation of the environment in the context of the principle of sustainable development.

As a Member State of the EU, Greece is also obliged to adopt and/or implement the EU legislation. Under the Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action, the country has established the required National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) for the period from 2021 to 2030. The NECP is a ten-year integrated document that all EU Member States have to establish in order for the EU to meet its overall greenhouse gases emissions targets. The Energy and Climate Plan addresses all five dimensions of the EU Energy Union: decarbonisation, energy efficiency, energy security, internal energy markets and research, innovation and competitiveness.

In 2019, it was announced that, as part of its national policy, Greece would phase out the use of lignite in its energy system by 2028. In order to address the economic and social repercussions, the government announced a masterplan for the Just Development Transition (Σχέδιο Δίκαιης Αναπτυξιακής Μετάβασης, ΣΔΑΜ/SDAM) and set up a steering committee to coordinate the preparation of the plan.

National jurisdiction
Currently there are no Climate Litigation cases concerning Greece and its national jurisdiction. However, Greek Environmental Law and the relevant case law can provide some useful principles and guidelines for future climate litigation. It should be noted that Greece is a country of civil law tradition.


 * Right to the protection of the environment  (Art. 24 par. 1 of the Constitution of Greece): Its content is to protect and ensure human life, health and quality of life, and the environment itself as a separately protected right.

Other

 * Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights (MFHR) v. Greece
 * European Commission v. Greece (pending): The case concerns poor air quality due to high levels of particulate matter (PM10).

Resources

 * Grantham Research Institute/Climate Change Laws of the World
 * European E-justice Portal: Access to justice in environmental matters - Greece
 * Νόμος + Φύση (“NOMOS + PHYSIS”/LAW AND NATURE, available information mainly in greek)
 * For the NECPs, see:National energy and climate plans (NECPs), Greece's NECP.
 * For the Master Plan for the Just Development Transition (Σχέδιο Δίκαιης Αναπτυξιακής Μετάβασης, ΣΔΑΜ/SDAM), see: https://www.sdam.gr (in greek), Just Transition in Greek Lignite Regions: The Clock’s Ticking.

Organizations

 * WWF Greece
 * Greenpeace Greece
 * The Greek Ombudsman (independent authority)
 * Ministry of Environment and Energy (available in greek)