Greece’s conservative New Democracy government, now in its seventh year in power, is struggling to deliver on some of its most high-profile reform pledges.
Despite repeated announcements intended to project momentum, progress in key sectors has been slow or stagnant, fueling doubts over whether the administration can translate political capital into lasting change.
On July 25, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis unveiled a “roadmap” of 25 reforms to be completed by the end of 2025. Yet, according to the government’s own records, many of these initiatives were meant to have been finished already.
The gap between promise and delivery has been particularly stark in education, where the rejection of licenses for private universities — including a highly publicized partnership with Sorbonne Paris 13 — has derailed the government’s plan to allow non-state higher education institutions to operate this autumn.
Meanwhile, the abolition of the asylum law for public universities has not improved campus safety or infrastructure, and the long-promised university police force remains absent.
Infrastructure tells a similar story. More than two years after the fatal Tempi rail crash, Greece’s railway network remains outdated despite new legislation and repeated pledges to introduce full remote control, signaling, and automatic braking by the end of the current term. The “executive state” model championed by Mitsotakis has also faltered in areas such as the state agricultural payments agency, where allegations of entrenched political patronage continue to surface.
Public sector reform is likewise incomplete. The long-promised civil service evaluation system has yet to be implemented, and the new Civil Service Code is still in its early stages.
In the economy, tax cuts have been undermined by persistent bureaucracy, excessive regulation, and the continued protection of closed professions. Only recently has the government committed to cutting administrative burdens by 25% and streamlining licensing procedures.
Judicial reforms, considered vital for strengthening the rule of law, have advanced at a crawl. Projects such as digital case files and courtroom videoconferencing remain years behind schedule, while plans to restructure the court system have drawn criticism for poor preparation. Even the country’s land registry — a fundamental step toward securing property rights — remains incomplete.
Meanwhile, some of Greece’s deepest-rooted problems persist. Clientelism, political patronage, and corruption continue to undermine public trust. A major scandal recently revealed that hundreds of millions of euros in EU agricultural subsidies were allegedly claimed for barren land “where even cockroaches can’t survive.”
The case has been marked by harassment of whistleblowers, accusations of cover-ups, and claims that Mitsotakis is shielding ministers from prosecution.
The Tempi train disaster has become a symbol of institutional failure, with the government’s handling of the tragedy widely condemned. For many, it has reinforced perceptions of weak accountability, deeply entrenched political networks, and a justice system seen as slow and politicized.
Although Greece’s economy has stabilized since the debt crisis, many citizens believe corruption and a fragile rule of law are blocking genuine progress. That perception is now reshaping the political landscape, with growing numbers turning against Mitsotakis and his administration.
