Greece Overhauls Urban Planning Chaos with One-Stop Property Authority

Greece is finally putting order into the long-standing chaos of urban planning. The National Organization for Cadastre and Building Control (EOKED) will consolidate responsibilities from the Hellenic Cadastre and part of the municipal planning offices’ powers into a single national entity—a one-stop-shop for all property-related matters.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the move as bold, aiming to create “a coherent system that will facilitate owners, builders, and investors, fully operational by 2026.” Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou explained that the new organization will provide:

• Uniform enforcement of building legislation.
• Modern digital tools and integrated process control.
• Better management of human resources nationwide.
• Interoperability with the Cadastre and other digital databases.

The reform comes after years of inefficiencies in municipal urban planning departments (YDOM). Currently, only 185 of Greece’s 332 municipalities have a functioning department, while some serve up to 8–9 neighboring municipalities with as few as two engineers, causing delays of months—or even over five years for complex permits.

The new EOKED will manage property registration, building permits, approvals, and inspections, creating a fully digital, streamlined framework for citizens, professionals, and investors. Its goal is to ensure fairness, transparency, and standardized procedures across the country.

A nationwide assessment highlighted the pressing need for reform: municipal building services scored an average 3.4/10, confirming widespread citizen dissatisfaction. With EOKED, Greece aims to finally bring clarity, speed, and reliability to the construction and property sector.

Source: pagenews.gr