Greek economy minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis has announced that the customs office and its freight warehouses will be removed from the centre of Kavala.
Speaking during a regional tour of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Pierrakakis said the government is working alongside Greece's Independent Authority for Public Revenue, known as AADE, to relocate the control facilities to an outlying craft park known as BIOPA.
The minister met in Kavala with the president of the Kavala Chamber of Commerce, Giannis Panagiotidis, alongside representatives of regional business associations to review local economic conditions, transport infrastructure, and commercial growth prospects.
Pierrakakis told business leaders at the chamber that ministers must work directly on the ground, listen to local communities, and take concrete action across all parts of the country. He explained that moving the customs station, inspection yards, and storage warehouses answers a longstanding demand from local residents who have sought to clear industrial traffic from the urban core.
Relocation to the local craft park
The government has prioritised the local BIOPA craft park as the primary alternative site for the customs operation. Pierrakakis said official site inspections will take place immediately, allowing authorities to present a firm schedule shortly thereafter. He told the gathering that the timetable would be announced extremely soon, adding that economic growth is only genuine when its benefits reach every corner of the nation.
Pierrakakis added that other regional economic issues raised during the talks will be examined in the coming period, with specific timetables and tailored solutions developed for each matter.
Kavala is a historic seaport city in northeastern Greece, situated along the northern Aegean coast between Thessaloniki and the Turkish border. As the principal commercial harbour for Eastern Macedonia, the city has long handled cargo shipping alongside domestic ferry links and regional trade. However, the presence of customs checkpoints, heavy freight lorries, and bonded storage facilities in central streets has constrained urban development and created persistent traffic bottlenecks near the waterfront.
Decades of pressure from local businesses
Following the meeting, Panagiotidis described the planned transfer of customs facilities to the BIOPA buildings as the most significant announcement for the region. He noted that the business community and local citizens in Kavala had spent between 30 and 40 years attempting to disentangle the city from the day-to-day operation of the customs post.
Panagiotidis, who noted the presence of Pierrakakis in his role as Minister of National Economy and Finance and president of the Eurogroup, said the minister had addressed a broad range of topics affecting both the regional and national economy. He expressed gratitude on behalf of local commercial bodies, stating that attendees departed the session satisfied and better informed about the state's plans.
The customs administration in Greece is managed by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, an autonomous public body responsible for collecting state revenues, customs border controls, and trade compliance. Moving clearance posts into purpose-built industrial parks such as BIOPA allows logistics operators and commercial transport firms to access modern freight facilities outside congested city centres, while freeing central urban land for civic, commercial, and tourism use.
