Ministry of education: Licensing re-issued to York and Keele – Major questions arise

The Ministry of Education announced today, Friday, the re-issuance of establishment and operation licenses to Keele University and York University, following the recent annulment rulings Nos. 1167/2026 and 1169/2026 by the Council of State (StE).

The relevant decision was signed by the Deputy Minister of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, Nikos Papaioannou.

Specifically, the branch institutions (N.P.P.E.) receiving establishment and operation licenses are:

• The University of Keele, Greece in Athens
• City – European Campus of the University of York in Thessaloniki

The establishment and operation licenses were granted following the repetition of the administrative procedure in compliance with the relevant rulings of the Council of State.

Major Questions

Following this re-licensing decision, significant questions arise that require answers from the Ministry’s political leadership.

First and foremost, the Ministry’s announcement does not clarify what will happen regarding the past—specifically, the academic year that just passed, which is essentially considered lost due to the Council of State’s annulment ruling. It remains to be seen whether this will be clarified in the relevant Government Gazette (FEK).

Furthermore, the re-licensing came without the Council of State’s annulment decision—which was reached shortly before mid-August—even having been formally drafted into its final text.

The sheer speed with which the relevant committee inspected and approved the facilities of the two universities is, in any case, striking.

Finally, a new appeal to the Council of State should by no means be ruled out.

For their part, Ministry sources noted that the law was applied to the fullest extent.