Greece's gov.gr to drop digital certificates from early 2027, minister says

A certificate-free gov.gr from early 2027

Greek Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Dimitris Papastergiou said the new version of gov.gr will let citizens complete administrative procedures without searching for or submitting digital certificates. He made the remarks in an interview with the state broadcaster ERT, published on 11 November 2026, and placed the launch of the new platform in early 2027. Under the model he described, citizens give consent for their data to be used for a specific request, and the procedure then runs on its own. He said this would also cover heavier procedures that can require five or ten such certificates. Citizens would not even need to download a certificate or file a sworn declaration, he added.

In the same interview, he summed up the principle in one sentence.

“To a very large extent, the citizen does not need to download even digital certificates.”

Traffic cameras and fine notices

Papastergiou said Attica currently has 388 regional traffic cameras and about 40 additional smart cameras on roads and buses. He said two tenders covering the information system and the remaining 1,000 cameras have been completed, and that bids are now under evaluation. He attributed the delays to the tender process, not to concerns over personal data protection. On fines, he said citizens will receive an SMS that will never contain a link, and that the message will tell the offender a ticket is waiting in their gov.gr Wallet mailbox. He added that fatal road accidents have fallen by more than 30% since 2019, and that a ticket now arrives "within a few hours, not ten years."

Regional cameras388

Additional smart cameras (about)40

Remaining cameras under tender1,000

Regional cameras

388 cameras

Additional smart cameras (about)

40 cameras

Remaining cameras under tender

1000 cameras

Data from the article text

Digitalisation, the Recovery Fund and tax fraud

Papastergiou argued that digitalisation has entered a new phase because interoperability lets public bodies cross-check large volumes of data, with artificial intelligence helping to process them. He said much of the necessary infrastructure was completed through Recovery Fund projects, which secured 800 new interoperabilities between information systems. Asked whether linking the tax authority AADE, the GEMI business registry, the EFKA social security fund and other services could flag suspicious activity early, he said it is now possible to cross-check records and identify the people involved. As an example, he cited companies set up through straw men, with individuals who had debts or other problems with public bodies. He presented these tools as a way to tackle tax evasion and organised fraud rings. He put the broader point in one line.

“What is digitalisation in essence? It is transparency. Digitalisation is traceability.”

Social media rules for minors

Papastergiou said Greek legislation protecting minors from social media has been enacted and will apply from 1 January 2027. He said discussions with digital platforms are under way ahead of that date. He said the government will first explain the legislation to the platforms before making its request to them. His comments on minors came in the same interview that covered the gov.gr upgrade and the camera contracts.