Greece to finalize recognition of existing rural roads by late 2026

According to the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the process of recording and formally recognizing the existing road network in Greece’s out-of-plan areas is currently underway, with the objective of establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework for rural and municipal roads that remain institutionally unrecognized.

As the Ministry notes, the mapping of the road network for the island regions of Greece has already been completed and is presently under review by the General Secretariat for Spatial Planning and Urban Environment. At the same time, the corresponding process for mainland Greece, Euboea, and Crete is ongoing, with completion scheduled for 30 June 2026 and the review phase expected to conclude by 30 August 2026.

The recording process is being conducted pursuant to Ministerial Decision (ΥΠΕΝ/ΔΠΟΛΣ/53355/1219/2022), which sets out the technical specifications, criteria, and requirements governing the preparation of the relevant studies for road networks located outside approved urban planning areas.

In parallel, a draft Presidential Decree is currently under preparation. The decree will establish the specific conditions and urban-planning criteria for the formal recognition and ratification of the road network, as well as the terms governing the temporary recognition of municipal roads pending their final ratification.

A key obstacle in the process concerns the inclusion of traditional or semi-mule tracks (historic pathways designed for the movement of pack animals and livestock herds). Although their designation as “Monuments” — primarily due to the presence of traditional dry-stone structures — affords them protection from deterioration, it does not automatically confer public-use status upon them.

According to the Ministry, the formal ratification of the network as a whole can proceed only upon completion of the recording process and the issuance of the Presidential Decree.

However, because the draft Presidential Decree must first undergo a preliminary legality review by the Council of State, it is not yet possible to determine its exact date of issuance. Nevertheless, it is estimated that the decree will be issued toward the end of 2026.

The matter was recently raised once again before Parliament by Dodecanese MP Manos Konsolas through a parliamentary inquiry addressed to the Ministry of Environment and Energy concerning the introduction of a legislative framework for the recognition of roads serving properties located outside approved urban planning zones.

In his inquiry, the MP emphasizes that thousands of properties — particularly plots under four stremmas in island regions — have effectively been devalued because, despite having frontage on existing paved rural or municipal roads and access to public utility infrastructure, the roads themselves have not yet received formal legal recognition.

As highlighted, this situation has resulted in many plots being treated in practice as “landlocked,” rendering them unusable or unsuitable for development, while property owners continue to bear tax liabilities on assets that remain effectively inactive. Mr. Konsolas specifically requested clarification regarding the timetable for completion of the studies, the criteria and conditions governing road recognition, and the anticipated timing for the submission of the relevant legislative measure and the issuance of the Presidential Decree intended to provide a definitive resolution to the issue.