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The Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer has been opened for signature on the occasion of the meeting of Council of Europe Foreign Ministers organised in Luxembourg on 13-14 May. This is the first-ever international treaty aimed at protecting the profession of lawyer in a context of increasing reports of attacks on the practice of the profession, whether in the form of harassment, threats or attacks, or interference with the exercise of professional duties. The  Convention  has been signed by Andorra, Estonia, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland and Sweden. Belgium, Iceland, the Republic of Moldova and the United Kingdom will sign it on 14 May. Lawyers play a key role in upholding the rule of law and securing access to justice for all, including to defend victims of possible human rights violations. Therefore, public confidence in justice s...

The Greek Data Protection Supervisory Authority imposed on a Bank, as Data Controller, an administrative fine of EUR 100,000 for violating the principles of accuracy, integrity, and confidentiality of data, and the principles of data protection by design and by default, in conjunction with Articles 32, 33, and 34 of the GDPR, as well as an administrative fine of EUR 20,000 for violating the complainants' right of access. Complaints were submitted to the Supervisory Authority of Greece against the National Bank of Greece for the incorrect linking of a complainant's bank account with the mobile phone number of another complainant in the “i-bank Pay application”, which resulted in money transfers, via “IRIS online payments service”, which were made to the first complainant's account instead of the second's.  In the context of the administrative audit conducted by the Authority, the Bank eventually identified that the issue was due to incorrect configuration during the ...

In Chamber’s judgment in the case of Jewish Community of Thessaloniki v. Greece (application no. 13959/20) the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been a violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (protection of property) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The case concerned the dismissal in 2019 of the applicant community’s demand to be judicially recognised as the sole owner of a plot of land on the grounds that it had been categorised as “enemy property” after the end of the Second World War – although the ownership of the plot had been transferred to them in 1934. The Court found in particular that the Court of Cassation’s 2019 interpretation of the relevant domestic legislation and its application to this case had not been foreseeable. It was not reasonable to expect the applicant community to have known that the property which had already come under its ownership in 1934 would be affected in 1950 and 1955 by the legislation concerning enemy...

The European Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Executive Agency (CINEA) seeks to recruit  a Legal Adviser. The Agency fosters a culture of employee empowerment and engagement, emphasising collaboration, respect, integrity, trust. equality, diversity, and inclusion The Agency and its staff are committed to a number of core values including innovation, client focus, excellence, well-being, care, work-life balance, sustainability and working together. The European Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Executive Agency (CINEA) has been established by the European Commission to support stakeholders in delivering the European Green Deal through high-quality programme management that helps to implement projects contributing to decarbonisation and sustainable growth. CINEA implements parts of EU funding programmes for transport, energy, environment and climate action with strong focus on contributing to the European Commission's Green Deal priority. As a member of the Legal Sec...

The European Court of Human Rights has elected on 28.4.2025 Mattias Guyomar, Judge elected in respect of France, as its new President.  Mattias Guyomar succeeds Marko Bošnjak, Judge elected in respect of Slovenia. He will take up office on 30 May 2025. Read his bio here Furthermore, the Judge elected in respect of Armenia, Vahe Grigoryan, was formally sworn in in the Court's Main Hearing Room on 28.4.2025. Read as well:  Interventions in Justice System and the role of Artificial Intelligence / article by Giorgos Kazoleas, Lawyer in Cyprus

On 10 February 2025, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) filed an appeal (case number T-99/25) to the Court of Justice of the European Union, under Article 263, paragraph 4, TFEU, against the decision of the European Court of Auditors denying the request of the EPPO to allow a number of staff members of the Court of Auditors to testify in an ongoing criminal investigation.  The summary of the appeal has been published in the  Official Journal . At the end of 2022, based on a report from the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF), the EPPO opened an investigation concerning individuals serving at the European Court of Auditors. The purpose of any EPPO investigation is to ascertain the accuracy of the reported facts, as well as their relevance as a criminal offence, by impartially gathering evidence for or against the person or persons under investigation. In order to be able to do that in this particular case, the EPPO has requested to the European Court of Auditors to ...

written by Efi Thoma * The European Union (EU) does not have a harmonized, single regulatory framework for betting companies. Instead, the regulation of gambling services, including betting, remains largely within the competence of individual Member States.  This results in a diverse and often fragmented legal framework across the EU. While the EU facilitates some level of cooperation and sets overarching principles, the specifics of licensing, operational requirements, and consumer protection measures vary significantly from country to country. Despite the lack of a unified framework, several key principles and EU-level instruments influence the national regulations of betting companies. More specifically, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) guarantees the freedom of establishment and the freedom to provide services within the EU. These fundamental freedoms mean that Member States cannot unjustifiably restrict betting companies legally established in ano...

Editor: Giorgos Kazoleas, Lawyer in Cyprus The development of the law on the issue of harassment in the workplace in recent years aims to better protect the previously completely unprotected employee. Unfortunately, the impression has prevailed that harassing behavior by the employer or a colleague is normal, tolerated and in any case unpunished.  Thus, many employees are subjected to systematic psychological violence in their work environment due to this erroneous culture of "tolerance" that has legitimized behaviors that are rooted in the serious psychopathologies of the abusers. This article explores the legal definition of mobbing, the specific forms of workplace harassment and the relevant case law, on the occasion of the issuance of new legislation on mobbing in the Cyprus jurisdiction. What is mobbing? Mobbing occurs when an individual is systematically harassed, intimidated, or isolated by colleagues, superiors, or subordinates in a professional environment. Unl...

According to the Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-292/23, the procedural acts of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) that are capable of affecting the legal situation of the persons challenging them must be amenable to judicial review.  However, it is not mandatory for that review to take the form of a direct action, provided that it includes a verification that the rights and freedoms of the person concerned are observed. The EPPO is an independent body of the European Union which is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment the perpetrators of criminal offences affecting the financial interests of the European Union.  It is organised at two levels: first, a central level, consisting of the Central Office at the seat of the EPPO, in Luxembourg, and, secondly, a decentralised level, consisting of European Delegated Prosecutors who are to be located in the Member States.  The EPPO is conducting, in Spain, a criminal investigat...