Greece's Association of Judges and Prosecutors twice turned down an invitation to discuss problems in the justice sector by the Plenary of Law Associations of Greece, it was announced on Thursday.

The bar associations had invited the judicial authorities to a discussion on May 8. The latter rejected it, saying there was no agenda and a timetable.

In response, the lawyers said it was necessary to start talking about resolving justice issues, adding that the timetable would be set at their meeting on Monday. They proposed as topics of discussion the following: delays in court decisions; independence of the judicial sector; the division of judicial regions; and facilities, hiring, and cost covering.

The judges and prosecutors turned the invitation down again.

Delays in trials and decisions and complicated bureaucracy in the judicial sector continue to plague Greece, contributing to a years-long backlog and affecting both private individuals and businesses.