Fuel Smuggling Reaches Crisis Point in Greece

Greece’s Finance Ministry have confirmed that the annual loss of money for fuel smuggling is €600m after a meeting about the issue this week.

The government have already tried to tackle this issue through the decision to equate taxation on heating oil and diesel, but it is not deterring smugglers. Fuel retailers have already criticised the government for not taking action sooner against smuggling and have blamed the controlling bodies inefficiency such as border crossing point, customs and the tax administration.

The meeting, chaired by Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras, considered how to combat the fuel smuggling issue. From the meeting a new plan has emerged for installing a system of controlling the fuel outflow from fuel station dispensers in Athens and Thessaloniki before the end of March this year, with hopes to be extended nationwide by March 2014.