In recent years, growing concern has emerged over the increasing use of legal proceedings to intimidate, burden or silence individuals participating in matters of public interest. These abusive legal actions, referred to as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), have become a significant threat to journalism and freedom of expression more broadly.

Against this backdrop, the Council of Europe Division for Cooperation on Freedom of Expression and the Educational Foundation of the Journalists’ Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers (ESIEA) organised their first seminar on the topic, bringing together representatives of public authorities, the judiciary, academia, civil society, the media and the legal profession. The event provided a timely opportunity to discuss European and national responses to SLAPPs, particularly as Greece prepares to publish its draft anti-SLAPP law for public consultation ahead of its expected adoption by Parliament in June.
Opening the seminar, Pavlos Marinakis, Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and Government Spokesperson, stressed that protecting individuals from abusive litigation is a democratic imperative and highlighted recent reforms, including the decriminalisation of simple defamation. Deputy Minister of Justice Ioannis Bougas presented the main features of the forthcoming legislation transposing Directive (EU) 2024/1069 on protecting persons engaged in public participation from manifestly unfounded claims and abusive court proceedings into Greek law. Complementing these legislative efforts, Dimitris Kirmikiroglou, Secretary General for Communication and Information, highlighted ongoing initiatives to strengthen media freedom and journalists’ safety, including a support mechanism for media outlets and a National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists aligned with European standards.
Yannis Ktistakis, President of the Third Section of the European Court of Human Rights, examined the Court’s developing case-law on freedom of expression and abusive litigation, placing particular emphasis on the criteria for identifying SLAPPs. Evangelos Nikolaou, Judge at the Court of First Instance, analysed recent developments within the European Union legal framework and relevant case-law. Evangelia Vasalou, Project Officer at the Council of Europe Division for Cooperation on Freedom of Expression presented the Recommendation CM/Rec(2024)2 on countering the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs),  while also outlining ongoing cooperation initiatives supporting its implementation across member States, including the Training Programme on countering the use of SLAPPs and the Guide for Legal Professionals on Freedom of Expression, SLAPPs and Related ECHR Standards.
The decriminalisation of simple defamation plays a key role in preventing the chilling effect on speech that may arise from the threat of criminal liability imposed on journalists for every statement of fact, as underlined by Antonis Karampatzos, Professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The evolving legal framework is expected to be reinforced through the adoption of the new anti-SLAPP legislation, the draft provisions of which were analysed in detail by Christina Vrettou, member of the European Commission Expert Group against SLAPPs. Addressing emerging challenges, Iasonas Gousetis, Programmes and Development Officer at the Hellenic League for Human Rights, highlighted the growing phenomenon of environmental SLAPPs (“eco-SLAPPs”) and their impact on freedom of expression and public participation.
Participants noted that developments in the field of SLAPPs will continue to shape both national and European jurisprudence, while underscoring the importance of multi-stakeholder cooperation to safeguard public participation in Greece.