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Description
The Greek Ombudsman plays a vital constitutional role in protecting citizens’ rights and ensuring public administration acts transparently, fairly, and lawfully. Yet during the drafting of the MoU, more than 70% of complaints received by the Ombudsman pointed to maladministration — a sign of structural issues undermining citizens’ trust in institutions. Many of these problems stemmed from fragmented cooperation between public bodies, lack of visibility of the Ombudsman’s preventive role, and limited access to its services, especially in Northern Greece and among vulnerable groups. To respond, this project focused on strengthening the Ombudsman’s operational capacity, public presence, and citizen outreach. A new office was established in Thessaloniki — a strategic step to bring the institution closer to underserved areas. Outreach visits and meetings were organised with over 193 regional entities, while a comprehensive awareness campaign was launched through workshops, print, digital and audiovisual media.
Key goals included improving access to mediation for vulnerable groups (e.g. Roma, children, people in detention), upgrading the institution’s digital infrastructure, building staff skills, and boosting institutional collaboration across Greece. Training programmes focused on good governance, equal treatment, and rights protection, targeting both Ombudsman staff and civil servants. The project also benefitted from the partnership with the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), which contributed expert input on fundamental rights and co-organised awareness and training initiatives. This partnership helped amplify the project''s impact and ensured alignment with EU standards.
Ultimately, the project aimed to make the Ombudsman more visible, accessible, and effective — improving administrative accountability and helping restore citizens’ confidence in public institutions, one of the cornestone goals of the Programme and the sector of EEA Grants.
Summary of project results
In a well functioning democracy, citizens must be able to rely on public services to treat them fairly, follow the law, and respect their rights. According to the Greek Ombudsman’s statistics, over 70% of the complaints it received between 2018 and 2022 involved some form of maladministration — from excessive delays to unfair decisions or lack of access to services. These figure reveal persistent structural weaknesses in how the state interacts with citizens and a need to make public administration more accountable, transparent, and responsive. These challenges are not felt equally. Vulnerable individuals and groups — including children, Roma, migrants, people with disabilities, detainees, and elderly citizens — often experience additional barriers when seeking help or redress. Language, stigma, physical distance, and lack of legal knowledge can prevent them from raising complaints or understanding their rights. In northern and remote regions of the country, limited institutional presence made it harder for people to access independent support or file cases in person. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted how unequal access to administrative justice can deepen exclusion.
The Greek Ombudsman, a constitutionally independent authority, has played a vital role in identifying and addressing these problems. But the institution itself faced challenges: outdated digital tools, high demand for services, underdeveloped outreach capacity, and a need to modernise how it communicates and collaborates with both citizens and public bodies. Its existing offices and resources were concentrated mainly in Athens, while regional access remained limited. Staff needed further training to manage complex complaints involving discrimination, fundamental rights, and intersectional vulnerabilities. Predefined Project 3 (PDP3) was designed to tackle these issues head-on. The project was grounded in the European Pillar of Social Rights and aligned with Greece’s national strategic frameworks for social inclusion and equal treatment. Its aim was to strengthen the Ombudsman’s institutional capacity and ensure its services reach the people who need them most. It sought to close geographic, social, and digital gaps that hinder equal access to good administration.
Among the key needs identified:
Insufficient outreach to local and regional authorities, leading to fragmented responses to recurring complaints;
Underrepresentation of vulnerable groups in formal complaints, pointing to systemic underreporting;
Inadequate communication tools, including lack of accessible public information, user-friendly online services, or visual materials for awareness-raising;
Limited training resources for Ombudsman staff to handle highly sensitive, rights-based complaints involving social services, police, and other state institutions.
The project was also informed by a growing need to support preventive work — not just resolving complaints, but helping public services act proactively to avoid rights violations in the first place. This aligns with broader European and international human rights standards. In addition, there was a recognized gap in regional presence and visibility. While the Ombudsman had national authority, many citizens in the North and in rural or remote areas had difficulties in access its services. This reinforced inequalities and created institutional distance. Finally, the project recognised that successful rights protection depends not only on individual cases, but on building trust between citizens and institutions. The Ombudsman needed to become a more visible, accessible, and effective bridge between the public and the state — one that listens, informs, and helps correct failures before they escalate. The project also benefitted from the contribution of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), which provided expertise on equality and non-discrimination and supported several of the awareness-raising activities. FRA’s involvement ensured that the project was aligned with European standards for the protection of fundamental rights and helped embed a rights-based approach into the training, communication, and outreach work of the Greek Ombudsman. This partnership reinforced the institution’s authority, broadened its learning network, and supported its ambition to become a more visible and accessible protector of rights across the country.
In short, the project addressed a fundamental democratic challenge: ensuring that all citizens — especially the most vulnerable — can access their rights and hold public services accountable. By strengthening one of Greece’s most trusted independent institutions, PDP3 helped create the conditions for fairer, more inclusive, and more responsive governance
The project strengthened the Greek Ombudsman’s ability to serve all citizens fairly — with a focus on those most at risk of exclusion, such as children, Roma, persons with disabilities, and residents of remote areas. Its core achievement was to expand the reach, visibility, and responsiveness of one of Greece’s most trusted independent authorities.
A key milestone was the establishment of a new regional office in Thessaloniki, allowing citizens in Northern Greece to access Ombudsman services more easily and promoting deeper engagement with regional and municipal authorities. This decentralised presence was supported by an ambitious national outreach effort: the Ombudsman conducted 193 working visits across Greece, well above its original target. These visits helped identify problems on the ground, build cooperation with local institutions, and offer hands-on support to citizens and public bodies alike.
The project also upgraded the Ombudsman’s digital infrastructure. It developed a new mobile application, launched in 2024, enabling citizens to submit complaints and track cases through their phones. Internal IT systems were improved to support faster case management and greater responsiveness. These changes modernised the institution’s service model and increased transparency.
Outreach and awareness were central to the project. A total of 48 communication activities were implemented, including 18 podcasts, 20 short-form awareness videos, 4 meetings with journalists, and 6 regional events for citizens. These materials promoted knowledge of rights and the Ombudsman’s role in defending them. They were also inclusive: designed to be accessible to a wide audience, including people with low digital literacy and vulnerable communities.
Training was delivered at multiple levels. The project organised 22 workshops with over 1,300 participants from the public sector and civil society, helping to build a broader culture of accountability and equal treatment. Meanwhile, 157 Ombudsman staff received targeted training on fundamental rights, mediation, children’s rights, and discrimination. These sessions were grounded in European standards and practical case studies.
The project also connected the Ombudsman with the international community. It facilitated 10 meetings with peer institutions and organisations such as the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), and the Council of Europe. FRA contributed to training content and supported a rights-based approach across the institution’s work.
To support continued learning, the project produced 22 educational materials, including training guides, slides, and analytical tools. These resources are now part of the Ombudsman’s institutional toolkit and support ongoing staff development and public communication.
Together, these activities enhanced the Greek Ombudsman’s ability to prevent and address maladministration, especially for people who previously faced barriers to redress. They also laid the groundwork for more systemic improvements — enabling stronger partnerships with local authorities, more transparent service delivery, and an institution that is better known, better equipped, and closer to the people.
The project made a measurable difference in how the Greek Ombudsman reaches, protects, and empowers citizens — especially those who need it most. It expanded institutional presence, built trust with underserved communities, and promoted a culture of transparency and equal treatment across the public sector.
One of the most important achievements was the opening of the Thessaloniki office, giving citizens in Northern Greece direct access to the Ombudsman’s support. Combined with 193 working visits to municipalities, public bodies, and local communities, this effort brought the Ombudsman closer to everyday life. Local staff began to see the institution not as distant but as a partner in solving complex problems — from delays in social benefits to workplace harassment and discrimination.
The project’s training and outreach efforts created ripple effects across the public administration. More than 1,300 civil servants and civil society actors took part in 22 workshops, strengthening their understanding of rights and obligations in areas such as social protection, disability, and equal treatment. Stories collected during these sessions show the project’s impact: in Chalkida, for example, local frontline workers described how the workshops helped them recognise shared problems and exchange good practices, paving the way for more consistent and citizen-focused service.
For people with disabilities, the project created safe spaces for sharing difficult experiences — and made the Ombudsman’s role more visible and approachable. In a powerful workshop in Athens, individuals with chronic conditions and mobility impairments voiced their struggles with public certification procedures and accessibility barriers. Their testimonies led the Ombudsman to plan follow-up awareness materials and advocate for better standards in how public officials handle sensitive health cases.
The project also improved digital access. A newly launched mobile app allowed people to submit complaints and follow up on their cases directly from their phone. The Ombudsman’s revamped website and updated case-handling software supported faster processing times and better interaction with users.
A wide-reaching awareness campaign included 18 podcasts, 20 short videos, and a dedicated TV spot. These materials helped explain citizens’ rights and the Ombudsman’s role in defending them — reaching both the general public and specific groups like students, prisoners, and parents. Social media campaigns and information brochures in Braille and child-friendly formats ensured accessibility.
Internally, the project left a stronger institution behind. 157 Ombudsman staff received training tailored to their roles, including mediation, monitoring closed institutions, and investigating discrimination. By the end of the project, Ombudsman teams were more confident in handling complex complaints and in working proactively with public agencies.
The partnership with the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) added credibility and reinforced alignment with EU principles. It helped integrate a rights-based approach into all aspects of training and outreach and connected the Ombudsman to European good practices.
The project’s most lasting impact is the shift in how the Ombudsman is perceived — not just as a legal recourse but as an enabler of better governance. More citizens now understand how to file a complaint, more frontline staff see the value of cooperating with the institution, and more public authorities are open to dialogue and improvement.
The Greek Ombudsman is now better known, more accessible, more mobile, and more proactive — and citizens across the country are already seeing the benefits