Greece Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in greece, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Customs Regulations
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The Union Customs Code (UCC) was adopted in 2013, and its substantive provisions apply from May 1, 2016, so as to align EU customs legislation with the requirements of the Lisbon Treaty. It replaces the Community Customs Code (CCC). The UCC was amended by Regulation (EU) 2016/2339, which modified Article 136 relevant to goods that have temporarily left the customs territory of the Union by sea or air.

The UCC was also amended by Regulation (EU) 2019/474, which introduced some technical amendments in Articles 34, 124, 126, 129, 139, 146, 272 and 275 UCC. It also introduced a new Article 260a to provide relief from import duties on goods repaired or altered in the context of international agreements. The UCC was also amended by Regulation (EU) 2019/632 allowing customs authorities and economic operators to continue using transitional arrangements (i.e., existing IT systems or paper-based arrangements) for the completion of a small number of customs formalities, until 2025 at the latest when new or upgraded IT systems for the completion of those formalities will be in place. 

In addition to the UCC, the European Commission has published delegated and implementing regulations on the actual procedural changes. The UCC Delegated Act has been modified regularly, to better implement the main rules established in the UCC and adjust them to the needs of economic operators and customs administrations.

There are several changes in the revised customs policy which also require an integrated IT system from the customs authorities. In April 2016, the European Commission published an implementing decision (number: 2016/578) on the work program relating to the development and deployment of the Electronic Systems of the UCC. 

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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