Α. Every EU Member State is required to implement EU law and take all necessary measures to fulfil its obligations.
The European Commission is the institution responsible for identifying potential breaches of EU law.
When a Member State does not comply with its obligations under EU law, the Commission may initiate a formal infringement procedure, as set out in Articles 258 and 260 TFEU.
(For more information on the infringement procedure, see relevant sources, including 1, 2, 3, 4)
B. Overview of the Commission’s 2025 infringement decisions concerning Greece
A review of the European Commission’s actions under the infringement procedure shows that, in six cases, the Commission decided in 2025 to refer Greece to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
1.1) Failure to comply with EU rules on car taxation and registration
The Commission referred Greece to the Court for not aligning its national rules on vehicle taxation and registration with EU law
(INFR(2020)4001).
Further details can be found in the Commission’s 7 May 2025 press release, and information on the case before the Court (Commission v Greece, C‑451/25) is available on the CJEU website.
1.2) Failure to transpose EU rules on charging vehicles using certain infrastructure
The Commission also referred Greece for not transposing Directive (EU) 2022/362 on road‑charging and infrastructure fees into national law
(INFR(2024)0155).
More information is provided in the 7 May 2025 press release, and details on the case (Commission v Greece, C‑443/25) can be found on the CJEU website.
The Commission noted, among other things, that most major urban areas still lacked approved noise maps, and that the maps which had been adopted did not meet the minimum standards set out in the directive
(INFR(2017)2150).
Greece had failed to abolish the excise‑duty exemption granted to duty‑free shops located at its land borders with non‑EU countries.
(INFR(2020)2268).
The implementation of EU law is a binding obligation for all Member States of the European Union.
When the European Commission identifies a possible breach of EU law, it may take a series of steps against the Member State concerned to ensure the correct and complete application of EU rules, initiating an infringement procedure under Articles 258 and 260 TFEU.
In 2025, within the framework of such procedures, the Commission decided in six cases – covering issues related to taxation, transport, the environment, and social policy – to refer Greece to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
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