A big problem in Greece is how much of it is in a “gray area.” Do I build on this plot or not? Is what I am going to do legal or not? These questions should normally have simple answers that are given at the touch of a button or even by an artificial intelligence platform.
Our political system, with the assistance of the deep state and sometimes the judiciary, has managed to create a dark labyrinth from which you need the help of a politician or some other “facilitator” to emerge unscathed. If you are lucky, the relevant help may be free or in exchange for your vote. If not, it “costs a lot,” as a cynical friend often reminds me and who insists that some things have not changed in this country, neither with the bailouts nor with the current government. He insists, in fact, that despite the great progress in the digitalization of the state, the “gray areas” that allow, or rather cultivate, illegality and corruption remain numerous.
And if us, Greeks, have gotten used to this “disease,” our foreign friends can go berserk. Like this man who wanted to deal with a problem he had with a seaside plot of land he had bought. Everyone advised him to find a solution “under the table.” But he insisted on going by the book, and after spending a lot of money on studies and getting all the permits he needed, the responsible state official, who had asked him for all the paperwork, told him that his problem had no solution. Did he want a bribe? We never found out because the persistent friend has pursued legal action and is waiting for his case to proceed.
