A significant institutional rift has emerged in Greece between the country’s judiciary and the government over the recent appointment of new Vice Presidents to the Supreme Court (Areios Pagos), raising questions about judicial independence and the implementation of democratic reforms. The Union of Judges and Prosecutors of Greece on Wednesday has publicly accused the government of failing to uphold a key legal reform that was meant to democratize the selection process for senior judicial appointments.
At the heart of the controversy is Law 5123/2024, passed by the Greek Parliament last summer following pressure from the European Union. The law introduced a new procedure requiring that judges participate in the selection of judicial leadership through a secret ballot, a move touted at the time as a milestone for institutional transparency and the independence of the judiciary. However, in a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday, the
Union of Judges and Prosecutors denounced the government for sidestepping the law during the most recent appointments, alleging that the results of the secret ballot were ignored and that none of the judges who received the highest votes were selected for any of the eight available Vice President positions.
The Union described the move as emblematic of a broader culture of political manipulation and accused the government of using the law for appearances only—both to placate domestic opinion and to reassure the European Union. “If the government never intended to relinquish control over judicial appointments, it should not have passed the law,” the Union stated. “We do not need a law that is applied only when the outcome suits the government.”
The announcement, laden with frustration, concluded with a call for the law’s repeal if it is not to be enforced, adding that a society seeking meaningful judicial emancipation demands limits on executive power.
A telling example of the Greek government's alleged favoritism in judicial appointments is the recent elevation of Vasiliki Vlachou to Deputy Prosecutor of the Supreme Court. Vlachou, formerly the supervising prosecutor of the National Intelligence Service (EYP), played a central role in the high-profile surveillance scandal that rocked the Mitsotakis administration. She signed off—without providing justification—on the wiretapping of journalists, senior military officials, cabinet members, and political rivals. Despite her controversial record, Vlachou was appointed to one of the judiciary’s highest posts, even though she was not among the candidates recommended by the prosecutorial associations for the position. Her promotion is seen by critics as emblematic of a broader pattern of politically motivated judicial selections.
This critique comes in stark contrast to the European Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law report, published on July 8, which noted that Greece had made progress in judicial independence and institutional participation. According to the Commission, the perceived independence of the judiciary remains low among the public—just 38% view it as “fairly or very good,” down from 55% in 2021—though there has been a slight year-over-year improvement in the perception among businesses. The report acknowledged that, for the first time, the judiciary was included in top-level appointments and praised the legislative framework that enabled this shift. Still, it noted that full implementation of these reforms, or further changes to empower the judiciary, would likely require constitutional amendment—something the Greek government has indicated it will pursue later this year.
The Union’s statement triggered a forceful response from Greece’s Minister of Justice, Giorgos Floridis, who defended the government’s actions and rejected the Union’s claims outright. Speaking in Parliament, Floridis accused the judiciary of overreach and warned against a “state governed by judges,” insisting that democratic legitimacy must remain rooted in elected institutions. “There is no country in the world where judges elect their leadership exclusively,” he said, emphasizing that judicial independence does not mean isolation from the other branches of government.
Floridis argued that all recent appointments were made in full compliance with the Constitution and existing legislation, and reaffirmed that the process involved input from both Parliament and the plenary sessions of the highest courts. He went on to criticize the Union’s tone and intentions, characterizing its stance as undermining the country’s democratic framework. “Judicial leadership appointments are not decisions to be made by a professional guild,” he said. “They must be legitimized by the institutions of democracy.”
This institutional standoff unfolds against a troubling backdrop: the Greek public’s trust in the independence of the judiciary is steadily eroding. According to the latest European Commission findings, 62% of citizens now believe that judicial independence in the country is lacking—a figure that marks a slight decline from 2024 and a stark fall from 2021.
