Shops face permanent closure for selling alcohol to minors

The government is preparing to introduce tougher rules permanently closing down shops that sell alcohol to minors, a leading government official has said. 

These provisions will be presented to Parliament early in the new year, State Minister Akis Skertsos told local media outlet SKAI. 

Under the new rules, enterprises selling alcohol will be required to conduct ID checks on young customers, the minister noted. 

The forthcoming tougher action was prompted by a number of underage drinking cases reported in recent times. 

In one case, involving an Athens nightclub on Vouliagmenis Avenue, eight minors were hospitalized with alcohol poisoning after being allowed into the club. It was temporarily shut down, and its manager was charged with endangering minors.

Just days ago, a shop owner in Ioannina was arrested for unlawfully selling alcohol to students visiting the northwestern city on a school trip.

Last month, Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis warned that selling alcohol to minors would be classified as a criminal offense.

He also announced that the government was forming an interministerial committee to address the issue, highlighting that the current legal framework has significant gaps that would be addressed imminently.