Providers of intermediary services, including mere conduit services, caching services, online search engines and hosting services1 (“Providers”), should, latest by 22 October 2024, register with a new Registry of intermediary service providers maintained by the Hellenic Telecommunications & Post Commission (“EETT”).
Above obligation stems as a consequence of the adoption of EU Regulation 2065/2022 (Digital Services Act) and the implementation measures transposed into Greek law by virtue of Law 5099/2024 and particularly its article 15 which gives the authority to EETT to set up and operate a Registry of intermediary service providers.
A new EETT Regulation
In compliance with the above authority provided by Law 5099/2024, the EETT recently issued the “Regulation on the operation of the registry of providers of intermediary services, including hosting services”, which determines the procedure that should be followed in order for Providers to register with said new Registry, and other matters, including access to the Registry and transparency.
Who should register
Providers with main establishment in Greece or Providers that are not established in the EU but offer services in the EU, including Greece, whose legal representative is resident or established in Greece, should register with the new Registry of intermediary service providers.
How to register
The registration procedure takes place through EETT’s eRegistry web portal (eregistry.eett.gr), where Providers should fill in requested information and submit relevant supporting documentation (e.g., articles of association, legal documents of incorporation / represen¬tation of a non-EU company, identity card/passport of the legal representative, residence and work permit, etc.)2.
Sanctions
Sanctions are provided for failure to comply with an obligation laid down in Law 5099/2024 and the Digital Services Act; fines, in certain cases, can be up to 6 % of the annual worldwide turnover of the provider of intermediary services concerned in the preceding financial year.
1Hosting services include web hosting services, online platforms allowing consumers to conclude distance contracts with traders, online platforms generally and other hosting services.
2EETT has published specific guidelines on the registration to eRegistry for the Providers.