Published on 28 July 2025
THIRD SECTION
Applications nos. 43942/20 and 18021/24
Leonidas MANOUSOS and Others against Greece
and Alexandros SOUGIANNIS and Others against Greece
lodged on 1 October 2020 and 18 June 2024 respectively
communicated on 7 July 2025
(see list appended)
SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASE
The applications concern the non-enforcement of domestic judgments that obliged the authorities to regulate the applicants’ professional rights. All the applicants are graduates of technological engineering schools (ΤΕΙ), without recognised professional rights, as the authorities omitted to issue the necessary presidential decrees to that end. The seven applicants in application no. 43942/20 had lodged an annulment request against that omission before the Supreme Administrative Court, which was accepted by final judgment no. 2040/2017, issued on 1 August 2017. Following the judgment, the authorities did not take the appropriate measures to comply with their obligation, as indicated by the three-member Council of Compliance of the Supreme Administrative Court on four occasions from 2019 to 2021.
The procedure regarding the issuance of the relevant decrees for the recognition of professional rights was amended by law in 2019, involving four Ministries and an advisory committee. In 2021 the one hundred and nineteen applicants in application no. 18021/24 (including the applicants in case no. 43942/20) lodged annulment requests against the authorities’ omission under the new legal framework, which the Supreme Administrative Court, considering its previous judgment, accepted by final judgements nos. 2407, 2408 and 2409/2022, issued on 6 December 2022. To this day, the applicants claim that the authorities have not enforced the judgments.
Relying on Article 6 § 1 of the Convention, the applicants complain of the non-enforcement of the domestic judgments and the absence of any other remedy to achieve the authorities’ compliance. They further complain that the omissions of the authorities have interfered with their rights under Article 8 of the Convention, barring them from practising in the professional field of their studies.
QUESTIONS TO THE PARTIES
1. Has there been a violation of the applicants’ right of access to court under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention, on account of the non-enforcement of judgments nos. 2040/2017 and nos. 2407, 2408 and 2409/2022 of the Supreme Administrative Court (see Bousiou v. Greece, no. 21455/10, 24 October 2013, and Kanellopoulos v. Greece, no. 11325/06, §§ 23-27, 21 February 2008)?
2. Did the applicants have an effective remedy in domestic law, within the meaning of Article 13 of the Convention, to enforce judgments nos. 2040/2017 and nos. 2407, 2408 and 2409/2022 of the Supreme Administrative Court (see Kanellopoulos, cited above, §§ 31-33)?
3. Has there been a violation of the applicants’ rights under Article 8 § 1 of the Convention on account of the alleged omission by the authorities to regulate the applicants’ professional rights (see Budimir v. Croatia, no. 44691/14, §§ 56-64, 16 December 2021, and Bigaeva v. Greece, no. 26713/05, §§ 30-36, 28 May 2009)?
APPENDIX
No.
Application no.
Case name
Lodged on
Applicant
Year of Birth
Place of Residence
Nationality
Represented by
1.
43942/20
Manousos and Others v. Greece
01/10/2020
1) Leonidas MANOUSOS
1980
Piraeus
Greek
2) Eftichia DELLI
1987
Athens
Greek
3) Efthymios EFTHYMIADIS
1988
Athens
Greek
4) Maria FRAGGOU
1983
Athens
Greek
5) Alexandros SOUGIANNIS
1984
Gerakas Attikis
Greek
6) Parthena TILKERIDI
1989
Piraeus
Greek
7) Irini Iliana TSAMOURGELI
1988
Athens
Greek
Margarita PANAGOPOULOU
2.
18021/24
Sougiannis and Others v. Greece
18/06/2024
1) Alexandros SOUGIANNIS*
1984
Gerakas Attikis
Greek
2) Asimenia AKRIDA
1989
Ilion
Greek
3) Konstantina ALEXANDRI
1980
Patra
Greek
4) Panagiotis ALOIMONOS
1983
Piraeus
Greek
5) Stamatia ANAGNOSTOU
1981
Katerini
Greek
6) Evangelia ANAMOURLOGLOU
1988
Neo Iraklio
Greek
7) Emmanouil ANASTASAKIS
1985
Chania
Greek
8) Anastasios ANASTASIADIS
1993
Thessaloniki
Greek
9) Triantafyllia ANDROULIDAKI
1984
Neochori
Greek
10) Paraskevi ANTONIOU
1982
Kallithea
Greek
11) Evangelia APOSTOLOU
1982
Volos
Greek
12) Ioannis BALIS
1981
Agia Paraskevi
Greek
13) Dimitra Eleni BAOURDA
1981
Nea Smirni
Greek
14) Theodoros BLETSOS
1980
Metsovo
Greek
15) Evangelia Sofronia BOFYLATOU
1985
Argostoli
Greek
16) Alexandros BROUZIS KOUTALIANOS
1993
Piraeus
Greek
17) Evgenia CHAROU
1985
Kithira
Greek
18) Zoe CHATZI
1985
Patra
Greek
19) Xenofon CHEIMONAS
1989
Derveni
Greek
20) Loukianos DAMORAKIS
1983
Nafpaktos
Greek
21) Maria DASKALAKI
1981
Cholargos
Greek
22) Ioannis DELATOLAS
1982
Marousi
Greek
23) Eftychia DELLI*
1987
Peristeri
Greek
24) Sofia DERVITSIOTI
1986
Athens
Greek
25) Nikoleta DIAMANTIDOU
1981
Sikies
Greek
26) Efthymios EFTHYMIADIS*
1988
Inglewood
Greek
27) Eleni ELEFTHERIADOU
1987
Serres
Greek
28) Maria FANI
1982
Loutraki Korinthos
Greek
29) Eleni FINTIRLI
1987
Mikonos
Greek
30) Nikolaos FOTEINATOS
1988
Nea Filothei
Greek
31) Charikleia FOTOPOULOU
1984
Patra
Greek
32) Anastasia FRAGKAKOU
1994
Athens
Greek
33) Maria FRAGGOU*
1983
Ilion
Greek
34) Stamatina GEORGAKI
1982
Patra
Greek
35) Flora GERONTAKI
1989
Austria
Greek
36) Despina GKIKA
1987
Chalkida
Greek
37) Elpiniki GOVA
1982
Metamorfosi
Greek
38) Grigorios HATZOGLOU
1985
Nea Ionia
Greek
39) Alexandros JABERIS
1991
Scottland
Greek
40) Eleni KAFRITSA
1993
Korinthos
Greek
41) Maria KAKOULIDOU
1981
Agios Eleftherios
Greek
42) Eleni KANAKAKI
1991
Kifisia
Greek
43) Athanasia KARAGIANNAKOU
1992
Acharnes
Greek
44) Eleni KARAISKOU
1989
Nea Filothei
Greek
45) Eleni KARANTAGLI
1983
Patra
Greek
46) Pavlina KATSOULAKOU
1994
Piraeus
Greek
47) Christina Zoi KEFALA
1988
Panorama
Greek
48) Christos KALPAKIS
1983
Zefiri
Greek
49) Efthymia KOLOKOTRONI
1985
Volos
Greek
50) Maria KONTAXI
1982
Imittos
Greek
51) Maria KOTSIKA
1989
Adamantas Milos
Greek
52) Evgenia KOUKOU
1992
Iraklio
Greek
53) Maria KOUMOUTSEA
1983
Haidari
Greek, American
54) Anastasia KYPRAIOU
1983
Kiato
Greek
55) Aikaterini LAMPRAKOPOULOU
1990
Artemida
Greek
56) Aikaterini LEONTI
1993
Zografou
Greek
57) Theodosia LOUKA
1989
Dafni
Greek
58) Leonidas MANOUSOS*
1980
Koridallos
Greek
59) Charikleia MARKOMANOLAKI
1985
Eidsvoll Verk
Greek
60) Christina MASOURA
1982
Ialisos
Greek
61) Georgios MATAKIAS
1981
Nea Smirni
Greek
62) Gerasimos MATSOUKIS
1980
Galatsi
Greek
63) Lougkretsia MORFI
1993
Zakinthos
Greek
64) Ioannis MOSCHOVIS
1987
Iraklio
Greek
65) Charidimos Nektarios MOURTZANOS
1993
Piraeus
Greek
66) Theodosios MYLONAS
1983
Evros
Greek
67) Evangelos NERATZIS
1989
Abelokipi
Greek
68) Georgios NIKOLIDAKIS
1986
Kallithea
Greek
69) Flora NOUTSOU
1986
Neo Iraklio
Greek
70) Pantelia NTALACHANI
1982
Patra
Greek
71) Polyxeni NTOVA
1983
Karditsa
Greek
72) Ioannis OIKONOMOPOULOS
1989
Metamorfosi
Greek
73) Georgios PALAIOLOGOS
1991
Chania
Greek
74) Ioanna PAPADOGIANNI
1991
Athens
Greek
75) Eleni PAPADOPOULOU
1981
Patra
Greek
76) Evangelia PAPADOPOULOU
1981
Volos
Greek, American
77) Eirini PAPAGIANNI
1988
Abelokipi
Greek
78) Michail PATERAKIS
1986
Halandri
Greek
79) Maria PELEKANOU
1993
Agia Paraskevi
Greek
80) Stavros PERAKIS
1984
Athens
Greek
81) Despoina PIOTOPOULOU
1987
Metamorfosi
Greek
82) Ioannis PLANTZOPOULOS
1992
South Kynouria, Leonidio
Greek
83) Konstantina POIMENIDOU
1983
Xanthis
Greek
84) Stavroula POLITI
1980
Alimos
Greek
85) Vasileios POLITIS
1983
Ilioupoli
Greek
86) Eirini SIDERI
1982
Nea Smirni
Greek
87) Antonios SKAMPAVIRIAS
1984
Athens
Greek
88) Maria SKARLATOU
1986
Skiathos
Greek
89) Fotios Marios SKORDIS
1989
Piraeus
Greek
90) Paraskevi SPYROPOULOU
1987
Zakinthos
Greek
91) Aikaterini STAMATI
1982
Kos
Greek
92) Εleni STAVRIDOU
1981
Agios Dimitrios
Greek
93) Georgios STOITSIS
1993
Peristeri
Greek
94) Triantafyllos THANOS
1983
Poligono
Greek
95) Olga THEODOSOPOULOU
1989
Pedeli
Greek
96) Virginia THRAPSIADOU
1986
Ermoupoli
Greek
97) Parthena TILKERIDI*
1989
Piraeus
Greek
98) Theofania TRILIVA
1988
Vathi Ithaki
Greek
99) Spyridoula Maria TRIVYZA
1983
Alimos
Greek
100) Stamatiki TSALAVOUTA
1987
Neapoli
Greek
101) Eirini Iliana TSAMOURGELI*
1988
Dafni
Greek
102) Spyros TSAMPOUKOGLOU
1983
Igoumenitsa
Greek
103) Artemis TSANTIRAKI
1986
Iraklio
Greek
104) Ioannis TSATSAS
1993
Karpenisi
Greek
105) Androniki TSIAMI
1985
Avlona
Greek
106) Dafni TSIFTI
1982
Thessaloniki
Greek
107) Athina TSIGARIDA
1988
Pagrati
Greek
108) Glykeria TSIMOGIANNI
1984
Asproxoma Kalamatas
Greek
109) Dimitrios TZORTZIS
1992
Vrilissia
Greek
110) Maria VAISMENOU
1983
Imittos
Greek
111) Kristallia VARELA
1979
Korinthos
Greek
112) Vasiliki VASILEIOU
1991
Nikea
Greek
113) Maria VASKOU
1982
Karditsa
Greek
114) Georgios VELLIS
198
Agia Paraskevi
Greek
115) Kalliopi VOULGARI
1993
Chania
Greek
116) Angeliki VRATSISTA
1986
Kos
Greek
117) Despoina XEPAPADAKI
1990
Agia Paraskevi
Greek
118) Despina ZACHARIA
1983
Agios Nikolaos
Greek
119) Antonia ZACHAROPOULOU
1988
Tripoli
Greek
Margarita PANAGOPOULOU
The applicants marked with an asterisk (*) in application no. 18021/24 are also the applicants in application no. 43942/20.