EU investigation into the Antinero program – Referral to the Commission following a report by 213 organizations

A key development for the environmental movement in Greece is the decision of the European Parliament do accepted in its entirety the voluminous report 213 environmental organisations, collectives and citizens against the government's forest protection programme Antinero.

As revealed by the Popaganda, the case is referred ex officio to the European Commission (Commission), which is required to carry out preliminary investigation for possible breaches of European environmental legislation.

This development, which was notified on 4 November 2025 to the applicants' lawyer Sofia Pavlaki, signed by the Chairman of the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament Bogdan Rzońca and is identified as «urgent». At the same time, the case was forwarded to the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI) for further action.

What is complained about

According to the report of Popaganda, the petition - numbering 206 pages accompanied by two additional pleadings; complains that the Antinero, which will apply from 2022 and is funded through the Recovery Fund, causes extensive ecological damage and infringes fundamental European directives.

Among other things, the applicants allege:

• Infringement of Directive 2001/42/EC for the programs.
• Infringement of Directive 92/43/EEC for habitats.
• Illegal exception programme projects from the environmental permitting process.
• Segmentation of projects with the aim of avoiding control.

The above is substantiated, according to the applicants, by «rich evidence, legal arguments and documents proving administrative arbitrariness and destructive interventions in the country's forests and habitats».

A matter of European interest

The European Parliament's Committee on Petitions considered that the petition is admissible, as it falls within the the EU's responsibilities for implementing Community law on the environment and public procurement.

In this way, as noted by Popaganda, the European Parliament recognises that the case is not an internal Greek issue, but European case concerning the legal use of European funds and the protection of natural ecosystems.

Transparency and funding issues

The petition is also directed against specific practices in the management of European funds, referring to «bias, fragmentation of contracts and assignments with a subject unrelated to forest protection».

If the allegations are confirmed, Greece could find itself facing sanctions for breaching European legislation on public procurement, the environment and competition.

Antinero becomes a European case

The programme Antinero, to be implemented from 2022 as a key tool for «armouring» Greek forests, was presented by the government as a «pioneering fire prevention programme».

However, as already revealed by «Antinero file» of Popaganda and the workshop of Chamber of Environment and Sustainability, its implementation was accompanied by complaints about habitat destruction, clearance of protected areas and uncontrolled contracting.

«Institutional victory for citizens»

In a statement, the 213 organisations and citizens refer to «full vindication» and declare that they «will continue to fight vigorously until the struggles for the preservation of Greek forests are vindicated».

The lawyer acting as agent Sofia Pavlaki notes that now «the EU mechanism is being mobilised to examine whether a government-funded programme has led to the very ecological degradation it was supposed to prevent».

One year after the revelations

A year after the first revelations of the Popaganda for the programme - through the publication of the «Antinero File» and the public debate that followed; the case is now taking on a European dimensions.

As legal and environmental experts comment, «in the era of the climate crisis, it is at least an oxymoron that the intervention of European institutions is needed to save Greek forests from the very programme that is supposed to protect them».

FULL PRESS RELEASE OF 213 ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANISATIONS AND CITIZENS:

The European Parliament accepted in its entirety the petition of 213 environmental associations, collectives and citizens against the Programme Antinero

With great honour and full vindication 213 environmental associations, collectives and active citizens from every corner of the country we inform you that according to today's reply of the President of the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament Mr. Bogdan Rzońca, which was duly communicated to our attorney Sofia Pavlaki, it was accepted in its entirety our detailed report on the Antinero programme, which we submitted last May before the Petitions Committee, accompanied by two supplementary reports on serious violations of European legislation on habitats and forests and on administrative arbitrariness under Antinero in the summer of 2025.

As noted in the Commission President's reply, the detailed

our report was reviewed and became fully acceptable for all the alleged breaches of European legislation detailed therein (mainly of Directive 2001/42 for the Programmes, of the Directive 93/43 for habitats, the unlawful exclusion of the programme's projects from the legislation on environmental licensing, illegal project allocations, etc.), which are documented with appropriate legal arguments, documents and irrefutable evidence from a rich body of evidence that we have brought to the attention of the competent European authorities from the implementation of the programme in the country's forests and habitats. As also stated, the case was considered admissible since the matter raised by it falls within the competence of the European Union with regard to the application of its legislation on environment and the public procurement by the Member States.

According to the Commission President's reply, the case already was indicted on his own motion from the European Parliament to the European Commission, which is invited to carry out preliminary investigation on the matter, but also to the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI) for its own appropriate action within its competence, while the case has already been included in the agenda of an upcoming meeting of the European Parliament's Committee on Petitions as «urgent».

The reply also refers to the Parliamentary question under Ref. E-002676/27.11.2024, which was submitted on the programme.

Thanking all those who have supported in every way and continue to support this effort, we continue dynamically until our struggles are vindicated, in which we now have on our side and the European Union itself with its institutions, which has accepted all our allegations about the systematic violation of its legislation by the application of «of program of destruction» of Greek forests and habitats.

Athens, 4/11/2025
For the applicants
The Plenipotentiary Lawyer
Sofia Pavlaki