GREECE Law and Practice Contributed by: John Kyriakides, Vicky Kriketou, Angeliki Stryftou and Konstantinos Lygkonis, Kyriakides Georgopoulos Law Firm
do so, the court may continue without their participa- tion. Before issuing it, the court checks that service was properly carried out and that the claim is proce- durally admissible. 3.7 Representative or Collective Actions In Greece, collective legal actions are largely regulated by the Consumer Protection Law (Law 2251/1994). This framework was modernised by Law 5019/2023, which transposes EU Directive 2020/1828 on repre- sentative actions to safeguard consumers’ collective interests. The reform renames such proceedings as “representative actions”, and introduces updated rules governing their conduct. The law came into force on 26 June 2023 and applies to representative actions filed from 25 June 2023 onwards. 3.8 Requirements for Cost Estimate In Greece, lawyers are expected – but not legally required – to provide clients with an initial overview of anticipated litigation costs. Under the Greek Law- yers’ Code (Law 4194/2013), lawyers must act with transparency and diligence, giving a general outline of expected legal fees, court expenses and factors that may influence overall costs, such as case com- plexity, duration, expert evidence, and the possibility of appeals, while also advising on alternative dispute resolution options. The Greek Code of Civil Procedure sets out provisions for interim remedies, which aim either to preserve the subject matter of a dispute until the court decides on the merits or to address urgent situations requir- ing immediate action. Certain measures, due to their specific nature, may be classified as “quasi-interim measures”, even if they do not strictly serve the pro- tective purpose of standard interim relief. When an application for interim measures is filed before the main action, the judge may set a deadline for initiating the principal claim, which must be at least 60 days from the issuance of the interim order. 4. Pre-Trial Proceedings 4.1 Interim Applications/Motions
To safeguard the dispute’s subject matter pending a final judgment, the court may, upon petition, order provisional attachment of assets or bank accounts, registration of a mortgage pre- notation, creation of a pledge over movable property, judicial sequestra- tion, or preservation of the legal and factual status of the property in question – an immediate discovery process in a case where means or proof could be at risk of destruction or loss. Additionally, a European Account Preservation Order may be requested under EU Regulation 655/2014. 4.2 Early Judgment Applications In Greece, civil procedure does not offer a direct equivalent to early judgment or pre-trial dismissal mechanisms found in common law systems, such as summary judgment or motions to strike out a claim. Cases are generally considered based on written pleadings, supporting evidence, and formal requests, and are typically resolved only after the main hear- ing. The closest mechanisms are interim measures or injunction orders, which can be decided quickly but do not determine the merits of the underlying dispute. 4.3 Dispositive Motions In Greece, the civil law system does not provide a direct equivalent to dispositive pre-trial motions. The closest mechanism would be interim measures, which can be decided quickly but do not replace the main trial. 4.4 Requirements for Interested Parties to Join a Lawsuit In Greece, third parties may participate in ongoing liti- gation through intervention, joinder, or announcement of the dispute. • Intervention allows a third party with a legitimate interest to join the proceedings, either through main intervention, seeking protection against all parties at first instance, or supportive intervention, assisting an existing party. • A request for joinder enables certain third parties to be added in specific circumstances, such as when multiple parties share a common interest, when the third party holds rights connected to a real estate dispute, or when a party may claim compensation. Courts may also order joinder on their own initia-
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