The plenary session of the Council of State rejected the petitions for annulment, which were submitted by the Association of Greek Archaeologists, the Panhellenic Union of Antiquities Conservators, the United Association of YPPOA Staff, the Association of Provisional Archaeologists, the Panhellenic Association of the Provisional Staff of YPPOA. , the Hellenic Ecological Society and Culture, the Christian Archaeological Society, as well as private individuals contrary to its decision Minister of Culture and Sportswith which the study of the detachment and the restoration of the antiquities of Venizelos station were approved Metro Thessaloniki. The CoE Plenary rejected the applications with decisions 2560 and 2561/2022, which were published today.

As Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni stated, “once again, the decision of the Council of State confirms the choice and policy of the Ministry of Culture and Sports regarding Venizelos Station. The project is progressing smoothly, according to schedules. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will present to the people of Thessaloniki a project completed at the end of 2023 with five museum stations, as well as the largest international archaeological site included in a major technical project.”

The Supreme Court of Appeal ruled as follows:

• It unanimously reaffirmed its jurisprudence that archaeological law permits the movement of an immovable monument for the construction of defense or other objects of vital importance to society, and once again unanimously reiterated that these exceptional conditions are met in the case of the Thessaloniki Metro.
• It unanimously ruled that the approval of the examination of the detachment and restoration, the implementation of which is controlled by the competent archaeological services, is legally justified and that it is legally considered that this research should be specialized in subsequent stages, which happened.
• It was unanimously agreed that the allegations of fragmentation and deconstruction of antiquities were not supported by either the approved study or the whole case.
• With a minority of three members, it decided that a research structure by questions (auction, feasibility study, etc.) was not needed in archaeological works that are part of larger projects or projects funded by other public or investment bodies, since these projects are subject to environmental licensing with wide publicity and public consultation, and the relevant archaeological research and work is subject to control and coordination with the Ministry of Culture and its services in accordance with the law.”