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Country Background

Greece is located in Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, and is between Albania and Turkey. The capital of Greece is Athens. The official language is Greek. The country’s population in 2016 was approximately 10.8 million. Greece is a predominantly Christian country, with about 98% of the population Greek Orthodox. Islam is the largest minority religion, and Muslims make up about 1% of the country's population.

Constitution & Legal Structure

Greece is referred to as a parliamentary republic, in which sovereignty belongs to the people and the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. The system of government is based on principles of separation and checks and balances and has three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The Constitution has been revised three times since its ratification in 1975: in 1986 (limiting the president's powers and create a pure parliamentary government system), in 2001 (reinforcing specific guarantees of civil liberties and social rights), and in 2008 (granting Parliament the right to amend state budgets, lifting a ban on Parliament members having outside employment, and allowing the mountainous regions of Greece to develop special legislation). Greece is a member state of the European Union.

Constitutional Status of Islamic Law

Islamic law has no constitutional status in Greece.

Jurisdiction(s) of Islamic Law

Islamic law has no official jurisdiction of operation in Greece. However, the Lausanne Treaty grants the Muslim minority in Greece the right to organize and conduct religious affairs free from government interference, having some implication for inheritance laws. 

Dominant School of Islamic Law

Greece has no official school of Islamic law. 

Sources of Law for Legal Research

Official Publications

• Legislative
  
  • Parliament
  • Ephimeris tis kivernisseos [Government Gazette]
• Executive
  • Prime Minister
  • Treaties and Conventions (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) 
• Judicial
  • Areios Pagos [Supreme Civil and Criminal Court]

Unofficial Databases

• FAOLEX: Greece (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) database of national laws and regulations on food, agriculture, and renewable natural resources.
• NATLEX: Greece (International Labour Organization) database of national laws on labor, social security, and related human rights.
• RefWorld Legal Information: Greece  (UNHCR)
• WIPO Lex: Greece (World Intellectual Property Organization)

References:

For an extended list of legal resources for this country, see the Library of Congress’s Research Guide, and for a narrative review, see the GlobaLex Foreign Law Research Guide (most updated version, where available). The Constitution is available in the LOC Guide in its original language and at Constitute in English translation. For full versions of past constitutions, amendments, and related legislation, see HeinOnline World Constitutions Illustrated or Oxford Constitutions of the World [subscription required for each].