GREECE Law and Practice Contributed by: Dimitris Babiniotis, Danae Papadatou and Emmanouil Mavrantonakis, Zepos & Yannopoulos
Zepos & Yannopoulos 280 Kifissias Ave 152 32 Halandri
Athens Greece
Tel: +30 210 6967 000 Email: info@zeya.com Web: www.zeya.com
1. Identifying Assets in the Jurisdiction 1.1 Options to Identify Another Party’s Asset Position A creditor seeking to enforce a judgment in Greece may obtain information on the debtor’s assets through various means, including searches in digital data - bases such as the Land Registry (Hellenic Cadastre), the General Commercial Registry ( Genikó Emporikó Mitróo , or GEMI), and the official e-auction platform. Additional information may be accessed by filing requests with public authorities, depending on the nature of the assets sought. General Means of Identifying Assets Hellenic Cadastre The Hellenic Cadastre is a centralised, map-based land registration system that records real property rights across most regions of Greece. Access to the records is available online. Only authorised represent - atives such as lawyers and notaries can access these records. Key functions and services of the Hellenic Cadastre include: • access to accurate identification of ownership and other rights (eg, usufruct, easements, mortgages) over real property; • changes in ownership due to sales or inheritance; • information on whether the real property in ques - tion is the subject of a legal dispute; and • access to title deeds and relevant underlying docu - ments. In certain areas of Greece, the older system of Land Registry Offices remains in force, pending full tran -
sition to the Hellenic Cadastre. These areas are still governed by the traditional regime of transcriptions and registrations. Property rights are recorded chron - ologically in hard copy and access requires in-person visits. General Commercial Registry GEMI provides free-of-charge detailed information on: • a company’s name, seat, tax identification number, and articles of association; • a company’s management, shareholders, and cor - porate ownership; • annual financial statements, depending on the type of the company registered; and • the status of a company (ie, initiation of restruc - turing proceedings, declaration of insolvency, or liquidation). The publication of the company’s management and partnership may be of essence, given that – under Greek law – one’s shares in a company are subject to seizure. Also, in some cases (depending on the company type), partners may also be liable for the company’s debts. GEMI is accessible to the general public via its web - site. If a company fails to upload its annual financial statements, any further publication is suspended. Digital Insolvency Registry The Digital Insolvency Registry is an online data - base listing insolvent persons and entities, including basic information (eg, names and tax identification numbers) about insolvency proceedings. Detailed
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