Greece's Council of State on Tuesday rejected a request by firefighters to be exempt from compulsory COVID-19 vaccination on the grounds of public interest and safety.
Specifically, the plenary session of the Council rejected the request of personnel serving in the Special Disaster Management Units (EMAK) for the suspension of the Act 28550 Φ215.2 / 18.5.2021 of the Chief of the Fire Brigade which enforces compulsory vaccination against COVID-19.
The president of the Plenary Session Mrs. Mary Sharp and rapporteur State Counselor Mrs. Panagiota Karli in announcing the decision said that the contested act "was imposed by overriding reasons of public interest, and in the need to ensure the uninterrupted and continuous operation of the Special Units of the Fire Brigade that are in charge of dealing with disasters (EMAK)".
Indicatively, the Council of State pointed out that for the operation of the Special Disaster Management Units E.M.A.K. "it is not enough for them to be continuously operational, but in view of the special and critical nature of these disaster management services, it must rely on the full availability of their service personnel, which can be seriously disrupted in the event of personnel being infected with the Covid-19 virus "