Greece today: a €2 fee on non-EU parcels from Sunday, ΚΑΔ codes to 31 December, winter night-rate hours and €33.9m for farmers

Activity codes: ΑΑΔΕ moves the fine-free deadline to 31 December 2026

ΑΑΔΕ (Ανεξάρτητη Αρχή Δημοσίων Εσόδων, Anexartiti Archi Dimosion Esodon), the tax authority, has moved the deadline for businesses to check and fix their ΚΑΔ (Κωδικός Αριθμός Δραστηριότητας, Kodikos Arithmos Drastiriotitas) activity codes from 30 October to 31 December 2026.¹²³ The extension was announced on the afternoon of Friday 30 October 2026, the last day of the old deadline, by decision of ΑΑΔΕ's governor, Γιώργος Πιτσιλής (Giorgos Pitsilis).¹³

The condition has not changed: ΚΑΔ corrections filed up to and including 31 December 2026 carry no fine only if no ΚΑΔ change was declared for the head office or a branch after 1 March 2026.¹ΕΛ² ΑΑΔΕ says the extra time helps businesses and accountants check the new 2025 codes, which were assigned automatically under the updated European classification.¹³ We have not found the number of the new decision, and the codified text of decision Α.1004/2026 still showed 30 October 2026 when we checked it on 31 October 2026.⁴

Our 29 October and 30 October briefs said 30 October 2026 was the last fine-free day, which was right when they were published; both now carry an update.¹

Parcels from outside the EU: a €2 handling fee per item from Sunday 1 November 2026

From Sunday 1 November 2026, goods bought online from sellers outside the EU and released for free circulation in Greece carry the EU's Union Handling Fee of €2 per item, according to ΑΑΔΕ circular Ε.2067/2026 of 30 October 2026.⁵ The fee applies whatever the goods' value, and it applies to parcels sent by post too.⁵ΕΛ⁵ An "item" means goods in one consignment with the same tariff classification, description and, where required, origin, so two units of the same product count once.⁵

On parcels worth €150 or less, the €2 fee comes on top of the €3 per-item duty that has applied since 1 July 2026, and both run side by side until 30 June 2028.⁵ That makes €5 per item before VAT, by our calculation.⁵ VAT is also due on the fee, and the fee itself is not refunded, even when a customs declaration is cancelled or filed twice.⁵ Non-commercial consignments from one private individual to another fall outside the fee.⁵ Our guide to the €2 parcel fee explains who pays it and how VAT is worked out.

Cheaper "night" electricity: winter hours from 1 November 2026

ΔΕΔΔΗΕ (Διαχειριστής Ελληνικού Δικτύου Διανομής Ηλεκτρικής Ενέργειας, Diacheiristis Ellinikou Diktyou Dianomis Ilektrikis Energeias), the electricity distribution network operator, says the winter schedule of the two-zone reduced tariff applies from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027, according to its notice as reproduced by Greek outlets.⁶⁸⁹ The reduced-rate hours are 12:00 to 15:00 at midday and 02:00 to 05:00 at night.⁶⁸⁹ In the summer period, from 1 April to 31 October 2026, they were 11:00 to 15:00 and 02:00 to 04:00, according to reports from March 2026.¹⁰¹¹

By our calculation, both schedules give six reduced-rate hours a day: in winter the midday window starts an hour later and the night window runs an hour longer.⁶¹⁰ CNN Greece reports that the change concerns consumers with a "night" or smart meter and happens automatically.⁷ The two-zone scheme has run since 1 February 2025.⁸⁹ Our guide to electricity tariffs explains the tariff colours.

Farm diesel: €33.9m refunded to 117,198 farmers for July to September

ΑΑΔΕ paid €33,937,935.33 to 117,198 farmers on Friday 30 October 2026, as the third 2026 refund of the excise duty on farm diesel, according to its release as reproduced by Mononews and Newsbomb.¹²¹³ The payment covers diesel bought in the third quarter of 2026 and sent to ΑΑΔΕ through the myDATA and e-send apps.¹² So far in 2026, ΑΑΔΕ has paid €79,839,664.46 to 126,997 farmers.¹²¹³ Farmers can see which purchases were counted, and each payment, in the «Επιστροφή ΕΦΚ Αγροτών 2026» (Farmers' Excise Refund 2026) app on the myBusinessSupport platform.¹² The release does not say when diesel bought in October 2026 will be refunded.¹² Our myDiesel guide covers the old refund and the new myDiesel app.

e-ΕΦΚΑ and ΔΥΠΑ pay €73.4m from 2 to 6 November 2026

e-ΕΦΚΑ (Ηλεκτρονικός Εθνικός Φορέας Κοινωνικής Ασφάλισης, Ilektronikos Ethnikos Foreas Koinonikis Asfalisis), the national social-security fund, and ΔΥΠΑ (Δημόσια Υπηρεσία Απασχόλησης, Dimosia Ypiresia Apascholisis), the public employment service, will pay €73,358,635.24 to 86,661 beneficiaries from Monday 2 to Friday 6 November 2026, the Labour Ministry said on 30 October.¹⁴¹⁵

• e-ΕΦΚΑ, Tuesday 3 November: €258,635.24 to 361 beneficiaries of the former ΤΑΥΤΕΚΩ fund's out-of-institution allowances.¹⁴¹⁵
• e-ΕΦΚΑ, Thursday 5 November: €15,100,000 to 31,000 beneficiaries for maternity allowances, funeral expenses, and sickness and accident benefits.¹⁴¹⁵
• e-ΕΦΚΑ, 2 to 6 November: €17,000,000 to 800 people following decisions on lump-sum (εφάπαξ, efapax) payments.¹⁴¹⁵
• ΔΥΠΑ: €21,000,000 to 35,000 beneficiaries for unemployment and other benefits; €1,000,000 to 1,500 mothers for subsidised maternity leave; €19,000,000 to 18,000 beneficiaries of subsidised employment programmes.¹⁴¹⁵

The release gives no dates for the ΔΥΠΑ payments.¹⁴ Our pension payment dates guide lists the monthly pension dates.

Unemployment: 7.6% in the survey, 655,023 on the register

ΕΛΣΤΑΤ (Ελληνική Στατιστική Αρχή, Elliniki Statistiki Archi), the Hellenic Statistical Authority, put Greece's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 7.6% in September 2026, against 7.4% in August 2026 and 8.8% in September 2025.¹⁶ΕΛ Its survey counted 359,609 unemployed people in September 2026.¹⁶ ΔΥΠΑ had 655,023 people on its register in September 2026, according to its release of 20 October 2026.¹⁷

The two numbers measure different things.¹⁶¹⁷ ELSTAT uses the EU definition: an unemployed person is aged 15 to 74, did not work even one hour in the reference week, was available for work straight away, and had either looked for work in the previous four weeks or found a job starting within three months.¹⁶ ΔΥΠΑ counts everyone on its register, and 55.0% of them had been registered for 12 months or more.¹⁷ By our calculation, the gap in September 2026 is 295,414 people; the 367,126 gap that ot.gr and other Greek outlets quote comes from August 2026 figures, 717,926 on the register against 350,800 in the survey.^16171819 Our explainer on the two figures sets out why they differ.

Producer prices in industry up 20.4% on a year earlier, led by energy

Producer prices in Greek industry rose 20.4% in September 2026 compared with September 2025, after a fall of 1.1% a year earlier, Capital, Insider and Powergame report from ELSTAT's release of 30 October 2026.²⁰²¹²² Compared with August 2026, they rose 5.1%.²⁰²¹²² Energy prices were up 41.2% on the year.²⁰²² Prices rose 13.2% on the domestic market and 38.3% on the non-domestic market.²⁰²² Coke and refined petroleum products rose 93% on the non-domestic market and 81.7% on the domestic market.²⁰²²

This is an index of the prices producers charge, not a measure of how much industry produced.²⁰²¹ ELSTAT's own release page did not load for us, so these figures rest on the press reports.²⁰²¹²² Our September inflation piece has the consumer-price side.

Retail sales: turnover up 8.2% in August, volume up 6.1%

Retail turnover in Greece rose 8.2% in August 2026 compared with August 2025, and sales volume, which removes the effect of price changes, rose 6.1%, according to ELSTAT figures reported by Powergame, Insider and Economix.²²²³²⁴ Fuel and lubricants show the widest gap, with turnover up 21.7% and volume up 4.3%.²²²³²⁴ By our calculation, the gap between the two figures implies that prices rose about 2% overall but about 17% in fuel, so in fuel most of the rise in turnover came from higher prices.²²²³²⁴ In large supermarkets, turnover rose 7.4% and volume 7.3%.²²²³²⁴

25 November 2026: a 24-hour public-sector strike, with labour centres joining

ΑΔΕΔΥ (Ανώτατη Διοίκηση Ενώσεων Δημοσίων Υπαλλήλων, Anotati Dioikisi Enoseon Dimosion Ypallilon), the civil servants' confederation, decided at an executive committee meeting on Friday 9 October 2026 to hold a 24-hour nationwide public-sector strike on Wednesday 25 November 2026.²⁵²⁶ Its demands include real pay rises, mass permanent hiring, the return of the 13th and 14th salaries, and measures on prices and housing.²⁵²⁶

Labour centres and federations are also mobilising for the same day, according to Economistas and 902.gr, the Communist Party's news site; ΟΙΥΕ (Ομοσπονδία Ιδιωτικών Υπαλλήλων Ελλάδας, Omospondia Idiotikon Ypallilon Elladas), the federation of private-sector employees, is holding regional meetings to prepare for it, among them in Patras and Trikala.²⁷²⁸ Athens municipal radio Αθήνα 9.84 (Athina 9.84) wrote on 12 October 2026 that the action is taking the shape of a general strike.²⁹ We found no strike call from ΓΣΕΕ (Γενική Συνομοσπονδία Εργατών Ελλάδας, Geniki Synomospondia Ergaton Elladas), the private-sector confederation, so on what is announced so far this is a public-sector strike joined by individual labour centres and federations.²⁵²⁷ Our 23 October brief covered earlier ΑΔΕΔΥ action.