The rollout of smart traffic cameras has been plagued by legal challenges, canceled tenders and bureaucratic delays that have repeatedly stalled efforts to modernize road safety enforcement.
The Ministry of Digital Governance canceled a tender for 1,000 smart cameras on May 21, weeks after its April launch, following three pretrial appeals challenging technical specifications. The €35.5 million, six-year project – which would allow cameras to automatically issue fines for speeding and red-light violations – will be re-tendered within days, stripped of an extension clause that could have doubled its value to €88.1 million.
A separate tender for the software platform underpinning the camera network has similarly cycled through appeals, court referrals and rescoring disputes.
Meanwhile, a contract to equip 600 Athens buses with cameras monitoring dedicated bus lanes was annulled after regulators found the specifications unduly restrictive. A scaled-back re-tender, covering 250 buses at €777,728, closes June 15.
