A delegation of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) visited Greece from 20 to 24 April 2026 as the first step in the preparation of a monitoring report. The visit was preceded by online meetings on 16 April 2026. During the visit, which was carried out within the framework of ECRI’s seventh country monitoring cycle, ECRI’s delegation gathered information on preventing and combating hate speech and hate crime and ensuring equal treatment and inclusion in education and healthcare.

The delegation held meetings with representatives of the national government, the Greek Ombudsman, the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, public prosecutors and members of other independent bodies, as well as various representatives of civil society organisations and of groups of concern to ECRI. Moreover, the members of the ECRI delegation went to Patras, where they met with representatives of the social organisation of the municipality of Patras (KODIP) and representatives of civil society organisations and Roma communities. They also visited the Maragopouleio primary school of Vrachnaika, where they talked to education professionals. In Athens, members of the delegation also visited the open polyclinic run by Doctors of the World Greece.

Following this visit, ECRI will adopt a report in which it will make a new set of recommendations on measures to be taken by the authorities to address racism and intolerance in the country. The implementation of two priority recommendations will be reviewed after 18 months from the publication of the report as part of ECRI’s interim follow-up procedure.

In its 2022 report on Greece, among other recommendations, ECRI recommended that the Greek authorities launch public awareness campaigns against hate speech. It also recommended that the authorities develop appropriate infrastructures and implement a set of activities for ensuring that the share of Roma children, including Roma girls, completing obligatory schooling increases significantly.

For more information on previous ECRI reports on Greece, please visit ECRI’s country monitoring page.