License Plate Shortages Trigger Gridlock in Greek Vehicle Market

The vehicle market is facing severe operational disruptions as license plate stocks are exhausted at the Διευθύνσεις Μεταφορών (Regional Transport Directorates) across the country. Importers and dealers are unable to deliver thousands of new cars and motorcycles due to legal entanglements in the tenders of the Υπουργείο Μεταφορών (Ministry of Transport), a situation directly impacting business revenues.

The Scale of the Problem in the Market

Zinc stocks for the manufacture of plates are decreasing dramatically. According to importer estimates, out of the 120,000 pairs of state plates for passenger vehicles previously secured, only 4,000 to 5,000 remain across Greece. Without immediate intervention, there are fears that the system could run completely dry within approximately ten days.

The problem is already reported as particularly acute in the motorcycle market. As explained by Mr. Giorgos Kampranis, owner of the company Motoway Καμπράνης (Motoway Kampranis) and member of the Σύνδεσμος Εισαγωγέων Μοτοσικλετών Ελλάδος (Hellenic Motorcycle Importers Association), more than 5,000 new motorcycles nationwide are awaiting registration. Some dealers, despite having completed over 30 sales, cannot deliver a single vehicle.

The ongoing delay is causing significant customer frustration, with reports of buyers requesting refunds of their deposits. Consequently, although July is traditionally the peak month for the motorcycle industry, this year has seen a turnover drop of up to 50%, with negative repercussions for both businesses and state revenue.

Causes and Ministry Actions

The root cause of the current situation lies in the tenders of the Ministry of Transport, which are frequently "frozen" due to legal complications and appeals. A similar scenario unfolded last spring when, following the collapse of a major tender, the Ελεγκτικό Συνέδριο (Court of Audit, Greece's supreme audit institution) gave the "green light" for the emergency procurement of 120,000 pairs for cars and 60,000 units for motorcycles via an urgent direct award process.

Market executives point out that the absence of a fully digitized process—contrasting with other reforms like myDATA, Greece's mandatory e-invoicing platform—exacerbates transparency issues. For its part, the Ministry of Transport states that immediate needs are being temporarily met through the redistribution of existing materials among local Transport Directorates (for example, seeking availability for Thessaloniki from other regions where stock remains).

Furthermore, given that a new tender attempt proved unsuccessful, the Ministry submitted a request on July 21 to the ΕΑΔΗΣΥ (Hellenic Single Public Procurement Authority). The goal is to obtain the Authority's consent to proceed again with an emergency procurement process, as provided by public procurement legislation. Concurrently, the Ministry’s plans include launching a new, digitized system for issuing plates to prevent similar phenomena in the future.