The Minister of Justice, Giorgos Floridis, spoke about the reform of the judicial charter at the 9th Delphi Economic Forum.

"The reform was not easy. In Greece, deep cuts need a maturation period of 50 to 100 years, and this one has had 114 years of maturation since the time of Eleftherios Venizelos," the Minister said. He noted that the unification of the magistrates' courts with the district courts is expected to greatly reduce delays and bring 1,000 judges into full service, noting that half of the first-tier judicial staff is currently understaffed.

Characteristically, he said that in the civil justice system, more than 1,400 days are needed for a decision, when the European average is 630 days, a target that Greece is expected to achieve by the end of the four-year period.

When journalist Ioanna Mandrou questioned the sufficiency of prisons following changes to the penal code, he responded that the penal system is effective when it serves as a deterrent. "So far for misdemeanors, there is a certainty that there is no penalty."

Floridis said, noting that judges will now be able to impose a fine, community service, electronic monitoring or imprisonment for sentences of more than two years.