Greek ombudsman

Living in Greece

A practical guide to moving, living, working & traveling in Greece, plus musing and misadventures from an American in Athens

Greek ombudsman

May 14, 2007 at 07:16 ·

George Kaminis, former ombudsman, now Athens mayor

If you have a bad experience or complaint about public services in Greece, it is important to know that you have an ombudsman to help.

An ombudsman is an independent government official appointed to:

– Receive and investigate complaints made by individuals against abuses or capricious acts of public officials;
– Report findings;
– Help achieve equitable settlements through a non-judicial process.

More than 10,000 complaints are filed per year in this country, with that number set to rise in direct proportion to public awareness. Polls show that less than half of Greeks know about him, most of them university graduates living in Athens, and less than 50 percent of those who know say they trust him.

Statistics show that 2 in 5 cases are solved in favor of the complainant, only 5 percent are rejected outright and the remainder are forwarded to the relevant government body for further review. If you have ever been through the justice system of Greece, where cases require money and several years to be heard, the ombudsman is an attractive and free-of-charge alternative.

Who can file a complaint?

– Greek citizens
– EU citizens residing in Greece
– Non-EU citizens residing in Greece
– Political refugees

* Tourists should contact the Tourist Police 24 hours a day by dialing ’171.’ They speak English, French, German and, of course, Greek; Mr. Aris was particularly helpful when I first arrived.

What kind of complaints does the Ombudsman address?

– Inefficiency, dishonesty and maladministration regarding bureaucracy in municipalities, social insurance and pension fund offices;
– Discrimination where benefits, jobs, rentals, grants/aid are denied on the basis of citizenship or ethnic origin (i.e., “only Greek citizens, no foreigners”);
– Suspected human rights violations against non-EU citizens;
– Maltreatment at state hospitals;
– Questionable practices by the urban planning board;
– Unreasonable delays by translators at the Foreign Ministry;
– Delays by the eforia (tax office) that then incur penalties (i.e., sending an audit letter after the deadline and assessing a penalty);
– Discrimination according to gender or age;
– Abuses by police (i.e., refusing to take a police report, physical harm);
– Nearly anything having to do with a public office or official; and
– *New* Monitoring, promotion and implementation of equal treatment between men and women regarding goods and services, according to law 3769/2009.

How long do I have to file a complaint?

Six (6) months from the date in which the event occurred.

Where do I go?

5 Hatziyianni-Mexis Street
(near the Hilton Hotel)
Tel: (210) 728-9600 or 801 112 5000
Hours: 8:30-14:00

Website: www.synigoros.gr (English/Greek)*

* A booklet is also offered in Albanian, Bulgarian, French, Romanian, Russian and Turkish

“Solvit: How to file a complaint about Greece with the EU”
“European ombudsman: Complaints about the EU”

In the news

“Ombudsman finds gender discrimination in Greek military” – Eleftherotypia
“Greek ombudsman assesses €5,000 fine on firm that fired pregnant woman” — Kathimerini
“Ombudsman rules that children can be excused from religious lessons with parental permission” — Kathimerini
“Ombudsman condemns asylum application process” — Kathimerini
“Complaints about noise rarely addressed” — Kathimerini
“Good behavior guide for public sector drafted by ombudsman” — Kathimerini
“Municipalities at top of gripe list” — Kathimerini
“Imprudence is rewarded not punished” — Kathimerini
“Ombudsman reports more malaise” (link broken) — Athens News

* Article last updated January 2, 2013

Permalink

14 Comments »

NIkos wrote @ May 15th, 2007 at 01:18

FANTASTIC site..

Kat wrote @ May 15th, 2007 at 09:20

Hi Niko,

Thanks for stopping by! I’m a great admirer of your site and its photos. Looking forward to knowing more about you and life on two continents — I did that for awhile also…or am in denial that I still do.

durdina wrote @ October 13th, 2010 at 21:52

hi Kat

i am so happy that a site like this exists.
thank you for doing this for all of us! i am from Serbia and my english is not great but will get better! Your informations are so helpfull and i am giving you a huge credit for all that you doing! you make our life much easier here in Greece! thank you once again!

Kat Reply:
October 13th, 2010 at 23:22

Hi Durdina,

It’s very easy for me to help genuinely kind, polite and grateful people like you. Personally, I think your English is great. You should hear my Serbian.

Ben wrote @ November 18th, 2010 at 14:09

Dear ,
I am citizen of belguim and i worked last year summer 2009 in crete and i worked also this summer 2010 in Rhodos island , was employed as animator in hotels mare blue resorts , i had A.F.M number ____ My father name : _____
I came back home and my social security asked me to bring them E104 for the last two season 2009 and 2010 otherwise i will pay a penalities .

Can you please Sir to send to me to my address in belguim the the two -E104- to my address at :____________

I would like to thank you Sir in advance and wish to recieve as soon as possible the documents to my address.

Kat Reply:
November 18th, 2010 at 19:48

You need to get in direct contact with the places you worked to send you the documents. I am not a governmental agency or a lawyer.

I also recommend that you not give your AFM and address to strangers on the Internet.

Kath wrote @ December 8th, 2011 at 08:57

Hi Kat,
Thanks so much for all your hard work on this site!
I want to complain about Alpha Bank – I assume the ombudsman is not the right person, am I right? If yes, would you know who I can complain to?
The problem is that they insist that I take out insurance with a particular company as one of the conditions of a loan. I have found cheaper and better cover with another company and they refuse to accept it.
Any help would be gratefully received.
Kath

Kat Reply:
December 8th, 2011 at 23:57

Hi Kath,

Greece has a Banking Ombudsman. You can find more information at the website: http://www.bank-invest-omb.gr

It offers information in Greek and English, and you can file a complaint online or use their phone number, email and address to get help.

Good question and hope to see you again.

Nina wrote @ April 24th, 2012 at 00:15

Hi I am a Greek American retired TWA F/A that now leave in Greece, I am also self assured with IKA. When last week I paid my payments they forgot to change the dollar amount into Euro and then take the 8.5%, so now they owe me 130 euro, they admit it and there is no problem there. The only problem is, that they can not give me my money back neither they can accept my offer to put that money towards my next 2 payments and I will pay the difference. Instead they want to have me pay 45 more euro for the next 4 months which is the minimum amount that they charge and we do not correct anything. That is silly, I want my money back or to put it towards the next 2 months. Please help me. I live in Piraeus

Kat Reply:
April 25th, 2012 at 00:14

Whether it is silly or doesn’t make sense is irrelevant in Greece. If this is a policy set by IKA, then employees must follow these instructions and policyholders insured with IKA must also follow them. Assuming you already spoke to a manager at the branch, it should have been made clear whether this is customary or not. It’s not something I can help you with.

You cannot get your money back or file a complaint with the Ombudsman unless it is a violation of some kind or a case of maladministration.

Terry wrote @ June 20th, 2012 at 15:39

All I’m looking for is a working phone number for the harbor police or authority for Galaxidi (Delphon) I would really like an email address as a serious issue has be posted to the net that they should know about. I can’t get any answer at the # I’ve seen on the harbor authority page: 22650 41390. What can I do?? Thank you. PS I am a Greek citizen living in Galaxidi 9 years.

Kat Reply:
June 21st, 2012 at 01:43

I would call the Galaxidi municipality and point out the number on its official website is wrong, then push them to find the right one; maybe they’ll even update the page. Failing that, if I lived in Galaxidi, I’d march down to the port and ask for it. I’m sure these aren’t new ideas to you, being as you’re a Greek who lives there and runs a website about the area, so I’m a little surprised you’re asking a lowly American in Athens for advice.

Andrea wrote @ June 25th, 2012 at 19:48

Your question was moved to “Greek passport.”

Masha wrote @ October 2nd, 2012 at 00:09

Where should I turn to get a mediation in relationships (my ex-bf, and his parents)? It is kind of complicated, I can´t rely just on friends, and would like to make it “official”. Would that press them into more vulnerable position?