On the occasion of the article entitled "What the Diaspora does for a Greek passport" by the Greek-Australian lawyer Yannis Tripidakis, which was published by "Neos Kosmos" on November 19 and in which the experienced lawyer in legal cases of Homogenia in Greece, comments on the consequences of the Greek government's decision to abolish the competence of the Special Registry Office in 2021 by charging the - already stressed - local Greek Consulates, we asked Mr. Tripidakis some questions in order to clarify the situation and to find out what he proposes for a better and faster service of expatriates under the present conditions.
-In 2022 you raised an issue with the Minister of State, Mr. Voridis, regarding the issue of obtaining a Greek passport by Greek citizens living abroad.
The issue that I raised last year in writing and in detail to the (then) responsible Minister, Mr. M. Voridis, is that the acquisition of the Greek passport by Australian-born children, grandchildren, etc., unfortunately, is becoming more and more difficult.
Specifically, while until 2022, the births, marriages and deaths of Greeks abroad were registered either at the Special Registry of Athens (even through a proxy attorney), or at the local Consulates, the law changed and now the competence of the Special Registry has been abolished, which remains only in very special cases and now the statements are transferred only to the local Consulates.
Unfortunately, this new law fails to take into account many problematic parameters, such as:
a) the significant understaffing of certain Greek Consulates and the long delays resulting from the lack of staff.
It is indicative that the appointments currently being given by the Greek Consulate in Melbourne extend to the end of 2025!
b) the continuous increase in the material of the Consulates despite the significant lack of staff.
c) cases that need immediate handling and cannot wait for the Consulates. (e.g. legal obligation to declare death and submit an inheritance tax declaration or renunciation thereof within one year, publication of a will, issuance of a certificate of next of kin, registration of real estate in the Land Registry, refusal of use, declarations of the elderly, seriously ill, etc.)
d) impossibility of personal presence and the need to use a proxy, etc.
-What exactly did you ask from Mr. Voridis?
Therefore, since the latest amendments to the law are certainly welcome, but create legal, economic and social impasses for Greek Australians, they need immediate amendment, at least until all the Greek Consulates without exception can cope with their workload within a reasonable time, which is also the requested, both for the Ministry and for the diaspora.
I repeated the same competently to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior, relatively recently.
-What worries you about the changes that have been launched?
Many:
*Young Greek-Australians are discouraged from "becoming" officially Greek due to the unpleasant social, legal, economic consequences for them, as well as the international consequences this has for Greece, whose population is shrinking and aging.
*The tendency of the younger generations to invest, train, live or operate commercially or as a family in Greece is decreasing.
*The co-tenants are forced to "illegally" since the deadlines stipulated by other laws cannot be met.
*The possibility of their representation by a lawyer (collaborator of justice) in a difficult (linguistically, bureaucratically and possibly age-related) administrative procedure is abolished.
*The right to vote of expatriates is practically nullified.
The possibility of expatriate representation in the Greek collective bodies and the Greek Parliament decreases, until it disappears. Diaspora issues must be heard in the Greek Parliament.
And much more….
And the worst thing is, that in the consciousness of many Greek Australians, the image and opinion they have of the Greek State is "tarnished". It is unfair, Mr. Hatzimanolis, both for them and for our birthplace.
- What do you propose to serve expatriates more efficiently?
I therefore propose the amendment of the law, so that the Special Registry of Athens, an already staffed Service and with absolute knowledge of the subject, has concurrent competence with the Greek Consulates in all cases of registration of deeds, and not just exceptional. That is, in simple words, alongside the Consulates, the interested party can submit his documents for the acquisition of the Greek passport either at the Consulate or at the Special Athens Registry (where the service is almost immediate) - since several roommates travel every year in Greece – either in person, or through a proxy attorney (which will facilitate and speed up the process). In this way, on the one hand, a channel will be created to relieve the already burdened Consulates, such as the one in Melbourne, without any additional burden on the state budget, and on the other hand, a better quality of service will be ensured for Greek residents abroad and expatriates.
-Finally, what can expatriates do in this direction?
On the one hand, to put pressure in writing through the Associations, Organizations, Communities, Federations, etc. on the Greek Ministry of the Interior to amend this law, on the other hand, whenever a Greek politician visits Australia, regardless of party, it should be put on the agenda of contacts and discussions as the first topic. Further, to be closely monitored until resolution.
source https://neoskosmos.com photo https://www.greeklawyers.com.au/
