Three years since the railway accident in Tempi, Greece

Question for oral answer O-000010/2026
to the Commission
Rule 142
Fidias Panayiotou (NI), Katarína Roth Neveďalová (NI), Michael von der Schulenburg (NI), Thomas Geisel (NI), Ondřej Dostál (NI), Kateřina Konečná (NI), Malika Sorel (NI), Ana Miranda Paz (Verts/ALE), Fabio De Masi (NI), Jan-Peter Warnke (NI), Nikos Pappas (The Left), Erik Kaliňák (NI), Nikolaos Anadiotis (NI), Petr Bystron (ESN), Gaetano Pedulla' (The Left), Branislav Ondruš (NI), Danilo Della Valle (The Left), Dario Tamburrano (The Left), Carolina Morace (The Left), Valentina Palmisano (The Left), Pasquale Tridico (The Left), Siegbert Frank Droese (ESN), Ruth Firmenich (NI), Elena Yoncheva (NI), Geadis Geadi (ECR), Afroditi Latinopoulou (PfE), Virginie Joron (PfE), Vicent Marzà Ibáñez (Verts/ALE), Nikola Bartůšek (NI), Gheorghe Piperea (ECR), Mario Furore (The Left), Maria Zacharia (NI), Giuseppe Antoci (The Left), Rada Laykova (ESN), Martin Sonneborn (NI), Milan Mazurek (ESN)

28 February 2026 marks the three-year anniversary of the railway accident in Tempi, a national tragedy for Greece. On 28 February 2023, 57 people violently lost their lives in the deadliest railway accident ever recorded in the country.

Three years later, serious questions remain unanswered regarding the causes of the tragedy, identifying the responsible institutions or persons, systemic failures, accountability, and, most importantly, the full respect for the rights of the victims and their families. The accident has a clear European dimension, as it occurred on European Union territory, on a railway network governed by EU railway safety legislation, and in a context linked to the use of European funds.

Nevertheless, relatives of the victims report ongoing obstacles in their pursuit of justice, such as delays, restrictions, and lack of access to independent and specialised forensic examinations. Particular concern arises from the fact that sufficient guarantees of independence, transparency and scientific integrity do not appear to be ensured with regard to the necessary exhumations of the victims, which are critical for clarifying the causes of death and attributing responsibility.

These concerns raise serious issues of compatibility with EU law and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, particularly regarding the right to effective judicial protection, good administration and respect for human dignity.

The Commission is therefore asked:

• 1.What is it doing to guarantee that the investigation process remains reliable and transparent for the victims and society?
• 2.What is it doing to guarantee the independence and impartiality of the investigation into the Tempi accident?
• 3.What specific measures does it intend to take to ensure that any exhumation of the bodies will be carried out with full guarantees of justice, independence, transparency and scientific objectivity, and that the documented requests of the victims' families will be duly taken into account?

Submitted: 3.3.2026

Lapses: 4.6.2026