For six months, until September 30, 2025, lawsuits by the state for claiming private properties will be suspended, as well as the progress of lawsuits that have already been filed and are pending, according to an amendment that will be submitted to Parliament, initiated by the Minister of National Economy and Finance, Kostis Hatzidakis.

With this amendment, according to an announcement from the Ministry of National Economy, and mainly with the comprehensive legislative regulation that will follow, a significant problem that has arisen for thousands of property owners across the country is addressed. These owners found themselves facing challenges regarding the ownership of their properties.

Through these lawsuits, the state is claiming ownership of properties or entire areas based on documents dating back to the Ottoman era. The number of lawsuits increased in recent months, with the completion of the Land Registry and the expiration of deadlines for filing lawsuits to correct the initial land registry entries.

Criteria Based on the Case Law of the Supreme Court

It is noted that in most cases, these lawsuits are rejected as unfounded, as the Supreme Court has ruled that documents from the Ottoman era alone are insufficient. In order for a lawsuit to be accepted, the state must present a title or actual possession or occupation. However, lawsuits continue to be filed because there are no clear criteria yet determining when lawsuits will be filed and when they will not, which would guide the Administration and the State Legal Council.

These criteria – based on the case law of the Supreme Court – will be established in the near future with the comprehensive legislative intervention currently being prepared. This regulation will provide the Administration and the State Legal Council with guidelines for the claims that the state will make, and for the cases where it will not litigate with citizens. As a result, many of the pending trials, whose progress is suspended, will be concluded with the withdrawal of the state, avoiding unnecessary inconvenience for citizens, the involvement of services and the State Legal Council with cases that do not benefit the state, and the burden on the courts.

Immediate Notification to the Relevant Land Services

Until the comprehensive regulation is passed, there will be a regulation for the six-month suspension, which stipulates that no new lawsuits will be filed, and that for lawsuits already filed, the progress of the process will be temporarily suspended for six months. There will be immediate notification regarding this issue from the General Secretariat of Public Property to all the relevant Land Services of the state.

It should be noted that citizens who wish to avoid delays in their case’s progress can request the normal progression of their case by submitting a request to the President of the relevant three-member council. Thus, citizens who do not wish to wait for the comprehensive legislative regulation but expect immediate judicial relief will not be affected by the amendment’s regulation.