Greece

The EU-IMF financial measures implemented to curb the government-debt crisis between 2010 and 2018 have left a lasting mark on the national economic and political landscape. Unemployment remains twice as high as the EU average overall, and youth unemployment is the highest in the EU, while the crisis-era brain drain further hinders recovery. The traditional left-right divide delineates how parties navigate the post-memorandum era, as right-wing conservatives call for privatizations and decreased corporate taxation, and the left demands a more involved welfare state.

Greece’s position on the EU’s South-Eastern flank of the European Union means it has become one of the main entry points to the bloc for the over one million migrants that have sought refuge there since 2015. This has bolstered nationalist, anti-immigration narratives that have in turn given rise to a hardline asylum policy, featuring forced expulsions, inadequate reception facilities- all of which breached international human rights law. The treatment of other minorities, such as the Roma, who account for 2.5% of the citizenry, follows a similar pattern, with the mainstreaming of ultra-nationalist and racist stances resulting in these groups suffering exclusion and police brutality.

Long-standing tensions in Greco-Turkish relations remain one of the most salient political issues. Overlapping claims to gas-rich waters in the Eastern Mediterranean, the contested status of Cyprus and bilateral breaches of airspace and maritime sovereignty have sharpened domestic focus on the military and supported Greece’s very high defense expenditure.

Though a secular state, Article 3 of the Greek Constitution recognizes Orthodox Christianity as the “prevailing” faith in the country. With 80-90% of the population subscribing to it, the Church exerts considerable political influence in key policy areas, such as education, marriage and adoption.

Recent GSoDI data reveal two concerning developments. The decline in Checks on Government could be attributed to the alarming downward trend in press freedom with the country now ranking last in the EU, as the Mitsotakis administration extends its grip on the media landscape, and the murder of an investigative journalist remains unresolved. Concerning, too, is the Government’s performance in relation to civil society participation. Under Mitsotakis, civic space has shrunk, as new legislation cracks down on NGOs helping asylum seekers by restricting registration and funding criteria, while groups investigating abuses against migrants are harassed and intimidated by the authorities. Corruption indicators continue scoring low, reflecting long-standing, unresolved problems with transparency and public sector bribery. New transparency laws, however, may usher in improvements in the coming years.