# Greek government reforms and penal policy shifts

> Developing situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/greek-government-reforms-and-penal-policy-shifts
> Updated: 2026-11-06T08:59:08.000Z. Sources: 25. Developments: 2.

Greek Minister of State Akis Skertzos has outlined various government efforts to address organized crime and judicial policy. In late October 2026, Skertzos linked the fight against criminal networks to institutional reforms in beach and public space management. He noted that since 2023, the government has worked to prevent private interests from monopolizing coastlines, citing the removal of illegal structures in Mykonos. Key reforms implemented in 2024 include transferring beach auction authority to the Land Services of the Ministry of National Economy and Finance, introducing electronic auctions for transparency, and mandating that 50% of beaches remain free for public use. To assist in monitoring, the MyCoast application was launched to allow citizens to report violations.

By early November 2026, the focus shifted to critiques of previous penal policies. Skertzos targeted the 2015 to 2019 legislation known as the “Presidentskopoulo law,” which he stated led to over 18,000 prisoner releases. He highlighted that under that law, conditional release requirements were significantly lower than current standards. Skertzos noted that legislative changes since 2019 have tightened conditions for serious crimes, such as robbery and homicide, and indicated that further regulations planned for 2026 aim to increase required time served for multiple life sentences.

On November 6, 2026, Skertzos expanded his political critiques to include former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Following Tsipras’s visit to Paris, Skertzos accused him of attempting to export “obsolete political expertise” and “political ostrichism” through his participation in French labor protests. Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis joined these critiques, challenging Tsipras to compare the Greek economy to France. Marinakis cited economic data from 2019 to 2026, claiming Greece saw higher increases in real GDP and net earnings compared to France, and a significant reduction in public debt.

## Claims

- Pavlos Marinakis stated that Greece's real GDP increased by 13% between 2019 and 2026. (reported by 2 sources)
- France's real GDP increased by 6.2% between 2019 and 2026. (reported by 2 sources)
- Net earnings in Greece increased by 42.3% between 2019 and 2026. (reported by 2 sources)
- Net earnings in France increased by 14.9% between 2019 and 2026. (reported by 2 sources)
- Greece's public debt as a percentage of GDP decreased by 46.5 percentage points since 2019. (reported by 2 sources)
- France's public debt increased by more than 21 percentage points since 2019. (reported by 2 sources)
- Akis Skirtzos criticized Alexis Tsipras via social media regarding his visit to Paris. (reported by 1 source)
- France's deficit increased by 125% since 2019. (reported by 1 source)

## Timeline

### 2026-11-06: Greek government officials criticize Alexis Tsipras over France visit

Greek officials Pavlos Marinakis and Akis Skertsos criticized Alexis Tsipras for comparing Greece to France, citing economic data to defend current Greek performance.

19 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/akis-skertsos-criticizes-alexis-tsipras-over-paris-visit-and-past-policies

### 2026-10-31: Greek Minister Skertzos addresses organized crime through beach management reforms

Greek Minister Akis Skertzos cited beach management reforms and the removal of illegal structures as evidence of the government's efforts to combat organized crime and ensure the rule of law.

9 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-minister-skertzos-addresses-organized-crime-through-beach-management-reforms

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Cite as: Greek government reforms and penal policy shifts. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/greek-government-reforms-and-penal-policy-shifts