New Spatial Planning and Urban Planning Code before parliament

The long-awaited bill, comprising 477 articles and 740 pages, seeks to provide a comprehensive codification of the currently applicable spatial planning and urban planning legislation. It does not introduce a new urban planning framework, nor does it establish new building regulations. The codification includes laws and presidential decrees issued by the Ministry of Environment and Energy, but does not encompass legislation falling under the jurisdiction of other ministries, such as the Ministry of Development, the Ministry of Tourism, or others.

As stated in the explanatory memorandum, “the committee of expert scientists, which drafted the Code in cooperation with the political leadership of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, did not have the authority to introduce new provisions or amend the existing legislative framework.”

Under the new Code, there are no changes to the currently applicable building regulations, land-use designations, or the special building conditions that apply to specific areas.

With particular regard to the General Building Code, the existing provisions of the General Building Code (Law 1577/1985, Government Gazette A’ 210) and the New Building Code (Law 4067/2012, Government Gazette A’ 79) have been consolidated and clarified (Articles 195–225). The Code also includes provisions of the New Building Code that remain subject to dispute, insofar as they have not yet been definitively adjudicated by a final court decision.

The case law of the Council of State has been taken into account where necessary in order to ensure the constitutional and administrative soundness of the relevant provisions.