Greece's Ministry of National Economy and Finance published Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis’ intervention at an ECOFIN meeting in Brussels setting out Greece’s position on the EU Energy Taxation Directive in the context of the green transition. He argued that aviation, maritime shipping and agriculture require targeted tax treatment, backing a ten-year exemption from taxation for aviation and shipping and supporting consideration of a permanent exemption for energy products and electricity used in agriculture. The intervention warned against a one-size-fits-all approach across all 27 member states and stressed the need to balance sustainability with competitiveness and cohesion. For shipping and aviation, it argued that taxation would create a comparative disadvantage versus other Mediterranean countries without equivalent taxation and noted that alternative fuels are not yet available at scale in these sectors, making a full ten-year exemption a minimum condition. For agriculture, it linked the request for a permanent exemption to food security, while noting that discussions have already extended the exemption timeline for the sector.
Ministry of National Economy and Finance (Greece) 2025-11-13
Greece's Ministry of National Economy and Finance calls for ten-year aviation and shipping exemptions and a permanent agriculture carve-out in the EU Energy Taxation Directive
Greece's Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis, at an ECOFIN meeting, advocated for targeted tax treatment under the EU Energy Taxation Directive, proposing a ten-year exemption for aviation and shipping and a permanent exemption for agriculture. He highlighted the risks of a uniform approach, stressing the need to balance sustainability with competitiveness. Taxation in shipping and aviation could disadvantage Mediterranean countries, and agricultural exemptions are linked to food security.