They are calling for the immediate mobilization and coordination of all competent bodies and services to address the significant delays observed recently at the Kipoi Border Station and Customs Office through a joint intervention by SEVE – Exporters’ Association and SVE – Federation of Industries of Greece.
The two bodies, following strong complaints from their member businesses, sent a relevant letter to the Governor of AADE, Mr. Georgios Pitsilis, with notification to the competent services of AADE and the Kipoi Customs Office, the Hellenic Police, the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia–Thrace, and the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.
According to information from the businesses, the problem has intensified significantly over the last 3-4 weeks, with the transport and delivery time of goods reaching in some cases even 5-6 days, while the number of trucks served daily by the Greek side is reported to have decreased noticeably.
The delays are causing serious impacts on the supply chain, increasing transport and operating costs, and affecting the production process and the competitiveness of Greek businesses. Of particular concern is the multi-day waiting time for perishable, sensitive, or special-condition transport cargoes, for which SEVE and SVE request that the possibility of priority handling be examined, where this is operationally and customs-wise feasible.
At the same time, the two bodies point out the need to expedite and complete more quickly the infrastructure works underway at the Kipoi Border Station, in order to substantially and permanently address its long-standing operational problems.
SEVE and SVE emphasize that the Kipoi Border Station is one of the country’s most important land entry and exit gates and a key point for Greece–Turkey freight flows and, more broadly, for international road transport.
For this reason, they request the immediate cooperation and coordination of all involved bodies and services, so that the smooth passage of freight cargo can be restored as quickly as possible, the capacity for daily vehicle service can be increased, and waiting times can be substantially reduced.