On 30 October 2025, a conference titled Greece and the Court of Strasbourg was held in Athens, Greece, as part of the Christos Rozakis Symposium. Ioannis Ktistakis, judge elected in respect of Greece and Section President, and Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court, addressed the conference participants on the work and impact of the Court.

In his introductory remarks, judge Ktistakis elaborated on the Court’s role in safeguarding the human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Convention. Mentioning the complex environment in which the Court operates, he emphasized the importance of its independence in ensuring the protection of human rights at the European level.

He also noted that the Court ruled on approximately 37,000 applications last year alone. “As of 1 January 2025, around 2,600 individual applications were pending against Greece, 60% of which concerned—and continue to concern—conditions of detention in prisons and detention centres,” said judge Ktistakis.

During the conference, the Registrar of the Court, Marialena Tsirli, highlighted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the Convention and emphasized its enduring and evolving nature, in line with the “living instrument” doctrine. She further noted that the right of individuals to lodge applications is the cornerstone of the Convention system, adding that the Court has dealt with more than one million applications since its establishment.

The second part of the event focused on two recent decisions of the Grand Chamber of the Court, as well as on the direct impact of the Court’s case-law on Greece’s legal system.