04/05/2026 Monitoring
PACE’s co-rapporteurs for the periodic review of Greece, ending a three-day fact-finding visit to the country to assess how far it is honouring its Council of Europe membership obligations, said they were able to discuss “all issues relating to the rule of law and democracy openly and in depth”.
Laura Castel (Spain, UEL) and Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (Finland, SOC) pointed out that topics covered included the balance of powers, the effectiveness of the judicial system, the fight against corruption, the role of civil society, press freedom, migration issues, the rights of ethnic minorities and conditions of detention.
Particular attention was also paid to the draft comprehensive constitutional revision and to the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, they added.
The pair underlined the very high level of the discussions. They were received by the President and the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic. They also met members of the government, the Chair of the Greek delegation to PACE along with several of its members, the leaders of the main opposition parties, the Ombudsman, the heads of several independent administrative authorities and a number of non-governmental organisations.
The “periodic review” procedure applies to all Council of Europe member states that are not under a full monitoring procedure or engaged in “post-monitoring dialogue”. It involves visits to a country, during which meetings are held with authorities, judges, media and civil society.
The co-rapporteurs will present an information note to the Monitoring Committee during its next meeting, in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) on 18 May.
