- ISPM 15 on imports
- Required
- Enforced since
- 2005
- Treatments
- HT, DH, SF accepted on imports; MB-marked WPM accepted if ISPM 15 compliant, but MB fumigation itself is no longer permitted inside the EU
- Plant protection authority
- Hellenic Ministry of Rural Development and Food – Directorate of Plant Produce Protection
- Common pallet sizes
- 1200 × 800 mm (EUR)
1200 × 1000 mm
800 × 600 mm (half pallet) - Main ports
- Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Patras, Volos
Overview
Greece applies the EU plant health legislation, so wood packaging from outside the EU needs debarking, ISPM 15 treatment and the IPPC mark (Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 and Annex VII of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072). The national plant protection organisation is the plant protection directorate within the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, which inspects imports through regional services at Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Patras, Volos and border posts with Turkey and the Balkans. Piraeus has become one of the Mediterranean's busiest container ports since Asian operators took over terminals, and it handles a large volume of transhipment; consignments in transit may stay in port, while goods entering the EU customs territory are open to plant health checks. Non-compliant packaging can be treated, destroyed or sent back at the importer's expense. In domestic trade, the EUR pallet at 1200 × 800 mm is spread across supermarkets and food distribution, while 1200 × 1000 mm pallets are used in industrial and beverages flows. Greece has little forest industry and imports much of its sawn wood and pallet timber, so many pallets arrive as marked products from the Balkans and central Europe. The large island economy also generates ferry-based palletised freight. Exporters of agricultural products such as fruit, olive oil and dairy often require ISPM 15-marked pallets for non-EU destinations, so pallet marking is routine.
Key points
- Import inspections by regional plant protection services at ports and borders
- Intra-EU movements of WPM generally exempt from ISPM 15 marking (pinewood-nematode rules for Portuguese conifer WPM excepted)
- Piraeus is a major transhipment hub, so much WPM is only in transit
- Non-compliant WPM may be treated, destroyed or returned at the importer's expense
Frequently asked questions
Does Greece require ISPM 15 for wooden pallets?
Yes, for wood packaging from outside the EU. Within the EU it is generally not required.
Is WPM in transit through Piraeus checked?
Transit consignments can stay under customs control; goods released into the EU are subject to plant health checks.
Who is Greece's NPPO?
The plant protection directorate at the Ministry of Rural Development and Food.
Sources
Import rules change. Confirm current requirements with the national plant protection organization or your importer before shipping. This page is general information, not legal advice.