Official designation of public roads expected in 2027

This development is expected to have a significant impact on both the real estate market and the construction sector, as it will establish a clearer regulatory framework for building on plots located in non-urban areas.

According to Efthymios Bakogiannis, Secretary General for Spatial Planning and Urban Environment at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, speaking at an informational event in Chania, the roads that will be officially recognized as shared-access public roads are expected to be ratified within the first quarter of 2027. This recognition is a key prerequisite for adjacent plots in non-urban areas to be considered buildable, except in cases where specific urban planning regulations already apply.

The process is part of a broader program for the mapping and classification of the national road network. The project is being implemented under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0”, with funding provided by the European Union through the NextGenerationEU program. The estimated value of contracts for the 22 project segments amounts to approximately €124.9 million excluding VAT, while the total package for the road recognition studies reaches €196 million.

The initiative to map the existing road network began last March, when the Technical Chamber of Greece launched the relevant tenders. The aim is to produce a complete mapping of the road network at the municipal unit level in areas located outside formal urban plans. This is an extensive cartographic project covering thousands of kilometers of roads nationwide.

According to the Ministry of Environment and Energy, studies for the islands have already been completed. At the same time, contracts for the mapping of the road network in mainland Greece, Euboea, and Crete were recently signed with the selected contractors. These studies are expected to be completed by 30 June, in line with Greece’s commitments to the European Commission under the Recovery Fund financing.

The mapping of roads represents the first and essential step toward the comprehensive regulation of the issue. It will create a centralized database that allows for the classification of roads and their designation as municipal public roads. This process is critical, as the designation of a road as public directly affects the buildability of plots along it.

According to the Ministry’s schedule, once the studies are received, the Ministry will draft the Presidential Decree over the summer. Prior legislative authorization will ensure that the final regulatory framework is established. Upon completion, the real estate market expects, for the first time, a clear and unified system for road recognition, bringing an end to years of uncertainty for thousands of landowners in non-urban areas.