EU refers Greece to court over Duty-Free tax violation
The European Commission has referred Greece to the EU Court of Justice for allowing duty-free shops at its land borders with Albania, North Macedonia, and Turkiye to sell goods like alcohol, tobacco, and fuel without applying excise taxes — a practice banned under EU law since 2017.
The Commission stated that Greece’s efforts to comply with the rules have been insufficient, prompting legal action.
In a separate move, the Commission also launched infringement procedures against Greece and seven other EU countries — including Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands — for failing to implement updated EU payment service rules, which aim to boost competition by allowing fintech and e-money firms to access EU payment systems.
The countries now have two months to respond before further action is considered.
