The Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) has acknowledged the problems but insists that the situation will ease in the coming week.
The delays stem from a sweeping reorganization of customs services that has left companies struggling to clear containers carrying critical goods. As part of the overhaul, the AADE has announced the creation of a new consolidated authority, the 1st Piraeus Customs Office, which comes into force on September 8.
The body will take over all cargo-related flows and procedures, with the exception of the clearance of used EU vehicles, and will replace the three existing Piraeus customs offices as well as the Poros Customs Control Station.
The authority says the consolidation is a strategic step toward creating a more efficient and transparent customs environment that can support both trade and economic growth. But the transition has coincided with a period of mounting pressure.
The Piraeus customs office has been at the center of “Kalypso,” a major European Public Prosecutor’s Office investigation into customs fraud. Five people have already been arrested on suspicion of belonging to a network importing goods from China in order to avoid paying duties and VAT.
European prosecutors consider the case one of the most serious fraud scandals in the sector in recent years. Their investigation is ongoing, with extensive networks of individuals and companies across multiple countries now under examination.
