15/02/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 15 February, the European Commission announced that it had referred Greece to the Court of Justice of the European Union, as the country does not apply the standard rate of excise duty to two specific alcoholic beverages, Tsipouro and Tsikoudià.
Under EU law, the same excise duty rate should apply to ethyl alcohol used in the production of alcoholic beverages, unless exemptions or derogations apply. However, Greece does not have a derogation for the spirits in question. It currently applies a reduced rate of excise duty (50%) to the two beverages and a super-reduced rate (around 6%) to the production of the same spirits by small producers, so-called 'two-day distillers'. By applying these reduced rates, Greece is infringing EU rules as it favours spirits produced in its own country. The Commission sent Greece a reasoned opinion in September 2015. (Original version in French by Élodie Lamer)