Other provisions

The Hellenic Society of Cremation was founded in 1997 with the main goal of legalising cremation and pursuing the establishment of a cremation centre, primarily public. Cremation became legal in Greece in 2006 under law 3448/2006 (Official Gazette, A 57, article 57). With a new legislation that was introduced in 2014 (4277/2014 Official Gazette, A 156, articles 48-49), a new effort has been made to finally establish cremation centres. Since 2006, a number of initiatives have been taken to get local authorities in several Greek cities to establish crematoria (e.g., Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra). However, due to the explicit and implicit reactions from the Orthodox Church at synod level but also of certain bishops at local level, the few initially positive decisions by certain mayors and municipal councils were overturned and the establishment of a public crematorium is still pending.

Because of the incapacity of the local authorities to go beyond Church reactions and proceed with the construction of a crematorium, the left-wing government of SYRIZA introduced in July 2017 a legal provision under which the private sector could also establish and operate a cremation centre. As a consequence of that, in 2019, the first private crematorium was inaugurated in Ritsona, a region near to Athens. According to the official data, the number of cremations is around 3% of the total number of annual deaths. In 2021, a documentary was produced to present the history of cremation in Greece and the success of the creation of the first cremation centre after more than 20 years of tireless efforts Currently, it is estimated that a second cremation centre would not be economically viable.

Civil funerals are legal since 2016 under law 4368/2016 (Official Government Gazette, A 21, article 35A). However, since many people who choose a civil funeral prefer to be buried and not cremated, the facilities for civil funerals in cemeteries are inappropriate to hold such ceremonies (for example, they are very small or non_existent).

Another crucial issue which is still unresolved and a matter of discussion is the lack of a Muslim cemetery in the broader Athens region. Muslim cemeteries function in Thrace, Northern Greece, and the islands of Kos and Rhodes, where the native Muslim community lives. However, the majority of Muslim immigrants and refugees live in Athens and when someone passes away, their friends and family have to transfer them either to Thrace or to their country of origin, which is time and money consuming. In 2005, the Orthodox Church offered a piece of land in Schisto, a region near Piraeus, close to Athens, but due to bureaucratic issues and perhaps a lack of political will, this offer remained unexploited.

D 27 July 2023    AAlexandros Sakellariou

Law 4285/2014 (amendment of Law 927/1979 on combating certain forms and manifestations of racism and xenophobia through criminal law) (Anti-racist legislation)

Article 1
Anyone who intentionally and publicly, through oral statements, the press, the Internet, or any other means, incites or provokes actions that can cause discrimination, hatred, or violence against a person or group identified by race, colour, religion, descent, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, and in a manner that endangers public order or poses a threat to their life, freedom, or physical integrity, shall be punished by imprisonment for three (3) months to three (3) years and a fine of five to twenty thousand (5,000 - 20,000) euros.

Article 2
Whoever intentionally and publicly, either orally, through the press, via the Internet, or by any other means, condones, belittles, or maliciously denies the existence or seriousness of crimes of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, the Holocaust, or crimes of Nazism recognised by decisions of international courts or the Hellenic Parliament, and directs this behaviour against a group or an individual based on race, colour, religion, genealogical origins, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, in a manner that can incite violence or hatred or involves threatening or abusive conduct, shall be punished with the penalties described in paragraph 1 of the previous article.

Law 4301/2014 On the organisation of the legal status of religious communities and their associations in Greece, and other provisions under the jurisdiction of the General Secretariat of Religions and related matters.
The law regulates, for the first time, the legal status and organisation of religious communities other than the Orthodox Church, the Muslim community of Western Thrace, and the Jewish community, which operate under different legislation.

Article 1
A religious community comprises a significant number of individuals adhering to a specific religious confession within a recognised religion, permanently residing within a defined geographical area. The primary aim of such a community is the collective practice of its worship rituals and the fulfilment of obligations dictated by the shared beliefs of its members.

Article 2
An association within this religious community, aiming for the systematic and organised practice of worship and the collective expression of its members’ religious beliefs, attains legal recognition upon registration in a designated public registry (the Registry of Religious Legal Entities) maintained at the court of first instance in its locality. To establish a religious legal entity, a minimum of three hundred individuals is required, including at least one religious minister, priest, or pastor responsible for conducting religious ceremonies within the community. This appointed individual must be either Greek, a citizen of a European Union member state, or a foreigner with legal residency in Greece.

D 13 June 2024    AAlexandros Sakellariou