A milestone moment for the national economy and the protection of European resources was marked today at the offices of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) following a meeting with European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi. The morning meeting included Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Deputy Minister Georgios Kotsiras, and AADE Governor Georgios Pitsilis. The meeting also included European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) Executive Director Milan Jaron and Greek European Prosecutor Nikolaos Paschalis. The discussion focused on further strengthening cooperation between Greece and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office for more effective combat against customs and tax fraud. The Minister and AADE Governor presented to the European Chief Prosecutor the comprehensive modernization and enhancement program for Greek customs, implemented under the name Customs NextGEN.
Kovesi meeting with Pierrakakis, Kotsiras and Pitsilis: Goals through 2029
By 2029, the following are planned:
- Integration of SDOE into AADE
By October 2025, the General Directorate of SDOE will be fully integrated into AADE.
- Authorized Economic Operators (AEO)
An approach to reliable economic operators is underway for granting AEO status and additional simplifications.
- Customs Document Control Center
Creation of a Customs Control Center in Thessaloniki for customs document inspection, incorporating procedures for 40 customs offices across the country by June 2026.
- Hellenic Digital Customs Borders
By 2026, development of a comprehensive digital surveillance system for trucks, containers, and vehicles entering or leaving the country.
- Container Targeting Center – Piraeus
Creation by September 2026 of a specialized hub for detecting suspicious containers at the Port of Piraeus, in cooperation with British authorities HMRC and UK Border Force.
- UCC Reform & Digitization (2026–2029)
Comprehensive reform and total upgrade of the national customs information system, aiming for complete digitization of customs procedures according to the Union Customs Code (UCC).
Program funding:
- 80 million euros have already been allocated from the Recovery and Resilience Fund (RRF) for the digital truck and container monitoring project at border customs stations.
- Over the next four years, an additional 203 million euros will be invested to strengthen operational capacity.
Detailed investment breakdown (through 2027):
- 125 million euros to strengthen Customs with approximately 1,100 additional employees, beyond existing staff, prioritizing the Port of Piraeus and Attica logistics services.
- 40 million euros for procuring 8 X-Ray systems for cargo inspections.
- 20 million euros for procuring 2 X-Ray systems for freight trains.
- 18 million euros for developing a new Customs information system.
In total, more than 280 million euros will be allocated for funding Customs NextGEN.
During the discussion, the following issues were also addressed:
- Detection and reporting of customs and tax fraud cases (VAT), utilizing advanced risk analysis tools and cross-border data exchange.
- Provision of specialized financial investigators and customs officials to support European Public Prosecutor’s Office investigations in Greece.
- Secondment of national experts to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, aiming to strengthen interoperability between national systems and EU procedures.
- European Public Prosecutor’s Office access to the EUROFISC information network, which is a key tool for rapid information exchange to prevent and combat VAT fraud.
- Salary equalization for NEDPAs (Secretaries and Financial Investigators) serving in the Athens Office, with compensation comparable to similar supervisory services of national authorities, recognizing their increased workload and critical contribution to investigation success.
The meeting confirmed excellent cooperation between Greece and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, while expressing the desire for further deepening of joint action for the benefit of transparency and protection of the Greek and European budget.
