ND signals it could accept PASOK's non-profit clause on Article 16, drawing an angry 'not a bazaar' reply

The committee gathers over Article 16

A long-anticipated ideological battle over the future of higher education unfolded on Wednesday in the parliamentary committee tasked with revising Greece's constitution. At stake is Article 16, which enshrines the state monopoly on higher education. New Democracy (ND) wants to allow private institutions under state supervision; the main opposition PASOK supports non-state universities but insists they must be explicitly non-profit bodies.

ND's opening and the Cyprus lesson

Evripidis Stylianidis, ND's rapporteur, called the current prohibition outdated and argued Greece has become an 'international island of educational isolation.' He noted that Cyprus, lacking the same constitutional barrier, derives 6% of its GDP from tertiary education while around 53,000 Greek students study abroad, representing a missed economic opportunity.

“Cyprus, taking advantage of Greek timidity, now earns 6% of its GDP from higher education.”

PASOK's conditional 'yes'

Nadia Giannakopoulou, speaking for PASOK, said her party agrees in principle to ending the state monopoly but demanded explicit constitutional guarantees that any non-state university would be non-profit, complement the public system, and operate under an independent oversight authority. She stressed that PASOK would not vote for any revision in the current, proposing parliament, only in the next revising chamber.

“Yes, let us allow non-state, non-profit universities that supplement the public university. That is the truly progressive step.”

The non-profit row erupts

The core dispute ignited when Dimitris Mantzos from PASOK accused ND of political opportunism for removing the word 'non-profit' from its original May proposal in the June draft. 'You erased the term,' he charged, warning that the absence of a non-profit restriction would open the door to commercial, for-profit universities.

“It is not a bazaar. If you change your position, say so and let us count the flip-flops. For us, the distinction between profit and non-profit is non-negotiable.”

A surprise olive branch

Near the end of the session, Stylianidis made an unexpected gesture. He said ND could agree to PASOK's wording and add the 'non-profit' qualification, framing it as a significant convergence. 'We welcome PASOK with great joy to our position. I co-sign whatever the PASOK MPs said,' he stated, adding that ND has no objection to non-profit institutions and was willing to amend the draft text accordingly. Mantzos immediately dismissed the overture as a tactical maneuver, insisting no consensus existed on the current wording.

What happens next

The committee, chaired by Makis Voridis, has until mid-July to submit its proposals to the plenary. With the election cycle already underway, the session was widely seen as a statement of principles rather than a genuine search for agreement. Any constitutional change requires a supermajority of 180 votes in the next parliament, a threshold that keeps both parties focused on positioning for the coming campaign.