HELTH - LABOR - EDUCATION
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The provision of free education to all citizens and at all levels of the state education system is a constitutional principle of the Greek State. The Greek educational system is centralised. National laws, presidential decrees and ministerial acts are prevalent within it.
Central Level
The central administrative agency for the education system across all fields, agencies and levels is the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs.
Regional and Local Levels
At regional level, the Regional Education Directorates oversee the implementation of the national educational policy.
At local level, the Directorates of Primary and Secondary Education supervise all schools in their area.
Stages of the Education System
Compulsory education in Greece lasts 11 years and extends from the ages of 4 to 15. Compulsory education in Greece includes:
The stages of the Greek education are mainly three:
Primary Εducation includes Pre-primary and Primary schools.
Pre-primary School
Pre-primary Εeducation in Greece has become compulsory for all 4-year-old children, since school year 2018-2019. Over the span of 3 years, the two-year pre-school education will become compulsory in all municipalities of the country and children will enroll in Pre-primary Schools (Nipiagogeia) at the age of 4.
Infant Centres (Vrefikoi Stathmoi), Infant/Child Centres (Vrefonipiakoi Stathmoi) and Child Centres (Paidikoi Stathmoi) represent early childhood care. They are run under the remit of the Municipal Authorities. They cater for children between the ages of 2 months and up to 4 years old.
Primary School
Primary Education is the next stage. Primary School (Dimotiko Scholeio) spans 6 years. It concerns children in the age range of 6-12 years.
Since school year 2016-2017, there is a Single Type of All-day Primary School with a new revised daily timetable. In the Single Type of All-day Pre-primary and Primary School, an optional all-day programme operates.
Secondary Education includes two cycles of study:
Lower Secondary School
The first one is compulsory and corresponds to Lower Secondary School (Gymnasio).
Upper Secondary School
The second one is the optional General or Vocational Upper Secondary School (Geniko or Epaggelmatiko Lykeio).
Higher education is the last level of the formal education system. Education remains a top priority for the Greek State and is enshrined in the Constitution (article 16). Higher Education is public. It is provided only by Legal Entities under Public Law. It enjoys full self-administration and academic freedom. The State supervises and finances Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs).
Most undergraduate degree programmes take 4 academic years of full-time study. Postgraduate courses last from one to two years, while doctorates at least 3 years. Higher Education comprises:
The University Sector (Panepistimio):
The Technological sector:
Lifelong Learning policy in Greece is part of a wider development plan. The General Secretariat for Lifelong Learning and the General Secretariat for Youth plans the public policy of LLL. Non-formal education can lead to certifications recognised at national level. Lifelong Learning is provided at:
The inclusion policy is promoted for all vulnerable groups of student population. Intercultural Education concerns the structuring of relations of different cultural groups with the aim to lift inequality and social exclusion. It sets the framework for harmonious and effective integration in the general education system of students with educational, social and cultural particularities.
A number of compensatory and supporting structures are put in place for this purpose, such as:
Intercultural Schools (Scholeia Diapolitismikis Ekpaidefsis) – operate in selected areas to facilitate inclusion in the education system of students coming from abroad (immigrants, repatriate Greeks) and presenting educational, social, cultural particularities. They operate at Primary, Lower and Upper Secondary Education level.
Minority Schools (Meionotika Scholeia) – operate to cover the educational needs of Muslims residing in the geographical region of Thrace (Pomak, Roma and Turkish origin). There are 173 Minority Schools, 169 of which are primary education schools. The curriculum is bilingual and is carried out both in the Greek and Turkish language.
Reception Classes (Taxeis Ypodochis) – are addressed to foreigners and repatriated pupils and take place respectively within and outside the school timetable. They are embedded in the Institution of ZEP. This scheme allows school units in the country to provide additional teaching support to students who do not possess the necessary knowledge of the Greek language.
Remedial Teaching (Enischytiki Didaskalia) – is applied in Primary Schools and in Lower Secondary Schools (Gymnasia). The institution is available for pupils lagging behind in school performance, not being able to follow and participate effectively in the educational process or for any pupil wishing to improve his performance. In Primary School (Dimotiko Scholeio), remedial teaching covers the subjects of Language and Mathematics. In Lower Secondary School (Gymnasio), the subjects covered are Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Foreign Languages.
Additional Teaching Support (Prostheti Didaktiki Stirixi) – is applied in Upper Secondary School (Lykeio). This institution is available to any pupil lagging behind in school performance, not being able to follow and participate effectively in the educational process or for any pupil wishing to improve his / her performance.
Educational Priority Zones (Zones Ekpaideftikis Proteraiotitas – ZEP) – cover primary and secondary education schools operating in areas with low basic indicators of school inclusion (e.g. composite indicator of prosperity and development, total education indicator). These zones also include school networks with a significant participation of special groups of pupils (e.g foreigners, Roma, or minority populations etc.). The overall purpose of ZEP is to create and test in practice alternative and flexible educational approaches, ensuring equal inclusion in the educational system of pupils from areas with low educational and socio-economic indicators.
Education for refugees’ children is provided by school units of Primary and Secondary Education integrated in the mainstream educational system. However, taking into consideration the particular needs of the refugee population as a result of mobility, the time of arrival, the duration of their stay in hosting structures, as well as the size of the population of pupils, Reception School Facilities for Refugee Education (DYEP) may be created for educating refugee children, which will function in the framework of mainstream education and apply specific study programmes of a limited duration. Attendance in Hosting Structures lasts for one (1) instruction year with the possibility of extension for one (1) more year. The duration of attendance in a Reception School Facility for Refugee Education (DYEP) is certified upon completion with a certificate of attendance.
If you are graduate of a University OR Technical University or Technological Educational Institute desiring to get accreditation for your degree you need to contact NARIC (DOATAP / ΔΟΑΤΑΠ) (http://www.doatap.gr/en/index.php).
Contact details: Address 54 Agiou Konstantinou str. (Near metro station Metaxourgeio), Tel. 210 5233312
If you are graduate of a Vocational Training Institute desiring to get accreditation for your degree you need to contact EOPPEP (EOPPEP /ΕΟΠΠΕΠ) https://www.eoppep.gr/index.php/en/.
Contact details: National Organisation for the Certification of Qualifications & Vocational Guidance, Address: 41 Ethnikis Antistaseos Avenue, 142 34 Athens, GREECE, Tel. 210 2709000, Fax: 210 2709142, E-mail: info@eoppep.gr
The Greek national health system provides healthcare benefits/services through a network of public/state providers and contracted private providers of primary, hospital and ambulatory care with the aim to ensure disease prevention and the promotion, preservation, improvement, recovery and protection of health. The presence of private providers is more obvious in primary care, especially in diagnostic technologies, private physicians’ practices and pharmaceuticals. The system is financed by the state budget, social insurance contributions and private payments.
The National Organization for the Provision of Health Services (EOPYY) negotiates contracts and remunerates health professionals on the basis of a Health Benefits Regulation (EKPY) prescribing the benefits basket for the beneficiaries of the system.
Primary healthcare is provided by:
Hospital healthcare is provided by:
In emergencies, one can go directly to a public hospital. The phone line 166 provides information on which hospitals are on-call duty. Urgent medical care is always free of charge.
Emergency ambulance (phone line 166) transport to a public hospital is free of charge. Transportation by air ambulance, which is the responsibility of the National Centre for Emergency Care (Greek acronym EKAV) is free of charge in most cases, for example when having to be transported from an island (more than 2.000 islands in Greece, more than 200 are inhabited) to the mainland due to a critical health condition.
A “Health Atlas” web platform is also available by the Greek Ministry of Health at https://healthatlas.gov.gr/#!/ aiming to provide a comprehensive set of information and analytics reflecting the characteristics of Greek Health system. The platform allows you to search health care sites on specific criteria or on location.
The employment contract
As a general rule the employment contracts are either fixed-term or open-ended. A fixed-term contract may be entered into for a reason and may be renewed as many times as needed, if such reason continues to exist. Otherwise, if there is no reason justifying the renewals of a fixed-term contract, it might be deemed as open-ended. Contracts of part-time employment or by rotation are also allowed by the law provided that the Labour Inspectorate is timely notified.
Recruitment formalities
The employer should notify the Manpower Agency of Greece (OAED) of the new recruitment within 8 days, the Labour Inspectorate within 15 days and register the employee immediately in the books of the Social Security Fund (usually IKA). Both, the employer and employee should have been fully registered in the records of Social Security Fund. The employer should keep submitting periodically information about the staff he employs by electronic means to the competent authorities (Social Security Funds etc.)
Under-age employees
With some limited exceptions, the rule is that an employee cannot be less than 15 years’ old, considering that adulthood is set at 18 years. For the employment of a young worker (over 15 years’ old) there are special formalities as it is the issue of special book, the notification of the Labour Inspectorate about the nature of the work that will be assigned to the under-age employee, the carrying out of medical examinations etc.
Working time
As a rule, the law provides for maximum time work, 8 hours per day. However, by virtue of a National Collective Employment Agreement, the total weekly hours have been reduced to 40 and the working days to 5 per week.
Termination of employment contract
The parties are free to terminate their contract without or under any terms and conditions they wish.
In a fixed term contract, either party can terminate prematurely the contract for a serious cause by giving a relevant written notice to the other party. The cause may be a serious misconduct or breach of a material obligation by the other party or even other objective reason for which no party is liable. Whether the cause justifies the termination is subject to the judgement of the Court and a compensation may be awarded to the innocent party for damages or losses depending on the cause.
In an open-ended contract, the first 12 months can be considered as a probation period in the sense that the employee can be dismissed freely without the need of previous notice or compensation from the employer. If the employment has lasted over 1 year, the employer can terminate it unconditionally only if has already pressed charges against the employee for a criminal offence which may be also a minor one if committed by the latter in the framework of the work.
There are three basic categories of taxes in the Greek tax system:
The tax administration
The tax administration in Greece is a competency of the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Finance is divided into separate General Directorates (Administrative Support, Taxation, Tax Audits, State Property, Customs and Special Duties, Financial Inspection, IT Systems, Budget & Payroll, Independent Public Revenue Authority).
There is also the General Directorate of “S.D.O.E.”, which stands for “Body for the Combat of Economic Crime”. In the lower level of tax administration are the local tax offices and the local customs offices.
Formal obligations of taxpayers
Most, if not all transactions in Greece involve a certain tax issue. In its attempt to combat tax evasion and tax fraud, the State in many occasions imposes obligations to individuals that are often strict, unfair and bureaucratic. The formalities involved in Greek tax legislation are in some cases extreme. Book-keeping is complicated even for small businesses and this is why even sole traders and small businesses or individuals with various sources of income have to get services from tax consultants or accountants in order to minimize their risk of missing out a formality.
The obligation to obtain a tax registration number (A.F.M.)
In Greece, the tax identity of individuals and corporate entities is defined by a unique tax registration number which has nine (9) digits. This tax registration number is kept until death of the individual or until dissolution of the corporate entity. The uniqueness of a tax registration number is ensured by the fact that it is associated with numerous personal details of the tax payer, such as the ID number, the date of birth/incorporation, the residence address or corporate seat etc.
The obligation to file a tax return (tax declaration)
In order to define the tax liability of each individual or corporate entity, it is necessary that the tax authority is aware of data that are related to the specific individual. This relates to most forms of taxation.
