There is deep concern and outrage within the local communities of Kythira and Antikythira regarding the operations and procedures of the National Land Registry on the island, an issue highlighted in a statement by the SYRIZA-PS Members’ Organization of Kythira-Antikythira.
As noted in the organization’s official statement, the process that is supposed to safeguard citizens« property rights has turned into a »nightmare.” Property owners are faced with a labyrinthine bureaucratic system, incorrect records, high correction costs, and suffocating deadlines, which directly threaten property rights and assets passed down from generation to generation.
The announcement follows:
The Land Registry's current operations are a nightmare for citizens
The SYRIZA-PS Members’ Organization of Kythira calls for immediate measures to address the problems that have arisen from the government’s vacillations regarding the Land Registry. These measures must be taken immediately and without delay, before the island’s economic and social life is brought to a complete standstill.
The New Democracy government’s publicity stunt regarding the «historic completion» of the National Land Registry burst in the most resounding way on Kythira and Antikythira. The official declaration of the local Land Registry as «operational» on June 11, rather than bringing the long-awaited legal certainty, marked the beginning of an unprecedented property and bureaucratic nightmare for thousands of our fellow citizens.
A recent, in-depth investigation by industry professionals (notaries and lawyers) at the relevant land registry offices has laid bare the harsh reality. Kythira is facing open wounds that are trapping citizens’ property and paralyzing all development and economic activity:
With the adjudication committees not even having been established yet and without the necessary electronic infrastructure, thousands of pending appeals remain on hold, rendering the corresponding properties «off the market» indefinitely.
The government’s carelessness completely disregarded the unique, historically established status of local property. The result? Due to the absence of relevant provisions and expert opinions, it is impossible to transfer forest land, even for those who hold valid title deeds dating from before 2001.
Contracts that have been legally registered as early as 2025 do not even appear in the system, thereby depriving owners of the right to manage their own property.
In a world first, 22,000 unregistered properties (instead of being recorded as «owner unknown») were transferred directly to the ownership of the Municipality of Kythira. Now, even to correct a glaring error, citizens are forced to endure a time-consuming (and costly…) process of waiting for approvals from the Municipal Council as well as going through legal proceedings.
On cadastral maps, even in cases where objections have been adjudicated, certain parcels are still shown as if their classifications are pending. The failure to update the relevant databases is evident.
The need to correct cadastral data poses a number of technical and economic challenges for the Greek economy. The high cost of surveying changes acts as a deterrent for many small property owners, leading to the informal “freezing” of their property, as these properties cannot be transferred, sold, or utilized in investment projects (e.g., energy upgrades, installation of renewable energy systems through net metering).
We note that even the Supreme Court has pointed out that, following the latest legislative changes, the scope of the special provision now covers actions for recognition of ownership and correction of inaccurate initial cadastral registrations, when the defendant is the Greek State, local government agencies, or legal entities governed by public law.
The mandatory initial mediation session must take place before the case is heard, and failure to comply with this requirement results in the case being dismissed.
The result of «governmental excellence»:
Once again, citizens are being asked to foot the bill out of their own pockets—for engineers, lawyers, and court fees—for the criminal mistakes, omissions, and haste of a bureaucratic state that cares only about public relations stunts and television interviews.
The SYRIZA–PS Local Organization of Kythira demands:
1) From the Government:
- The immediate legislative resolution of the legal loophole created by Article 152 of Law 4819/2021, so as to bring it into line with the special property regime governing the Local Property of Kythira and Antikythira and to unblock the transfer of forest lands.
- The urgent establishment and operation of Appeals Committees, in order to put an end to the limbo affecting thousands of properties.
- The full updating of cadastral maps with the final decisions on objections regarding forest lands
- The immediate digital integration of all outstanding 2025 contracts that have not yet been entered into the system.
2) From the Municipal Authority of Kythira:
– To abandon the role of a passive observer and immediately take the necessary institutional and political initiatives to protect the citizens.
– To convene an emergency City Council meeting with the participation of local academic and business representatives, in order to form a united, dynamic front to advocate and exert pressure on the central government for the immediate and unbureaucratic resolution of all pending local issues.
We will not allow our islands to be turned into a battleground for legal battles and economic decline just so the government can present fictitious «completed projects.».
We demand immediate measures to protect the property of the residents of Kythira before the consequences become irreversible.
