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This report provides updated contact information for Greece and gives an overview of Greek food laws in the EU context. It is recommended to read the EU-27 Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards, to obtain a fuller understanding of EU laws as Greece is a member of the European Union and follows its directives and regulations.

Greece, as a member of the European Union, follows EU directives and regulations. For information on EU export certificates, please see the Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards – Certificate Report prepared by the United States Mission to the EU in Brussels. For non-harmonized products, the competent Greek authority should be consulted as many issues are addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Warm and dry summer conditions have driven the EU’s MY 2022/23 citrus production down to 10.5 million metric tons (MT). The production decline has been especially steep in the case of orange production, which is anticipated to decline by nearly 13 percent.

In 2021, Spain imported $1.7 billion of agricultural and related products from the United States. Outside the European Union Member States, the United States was the fifth largest origin of Spanish agricultural and related imports. After the deep recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Spain’s economy is starting to recover, supported by improving domestic demand and a strong rebound of the hotel and restaurant industry as tourism returns to pre-pandemic levels.

Austria, as a member of the European Union (EU), applies EU regulations to the imports of agricultural products. U.S. export certification requirements for most products destined for the EU are harmonized.

The Netherlands, as a Member State of the European Union (EU), conforms to all EU regulations and directives. However, rules for the certification of imports are complicated and, in practice, are not always harmonized across EU Member States. This report lists the recent developments related to Dutch import requirements for the certification of agricultural and food imports.

This report is written for U.S. companies interested in doing business in Greece. It contains information on the economic situation, consumer buying patterns, and strategies for market entry. Greece presents market opportunities for many U.S. consumer-orientated products, including tree nuts, distilled spirits, soybeans, forest products, seafood, and processed fruits.

The European Union (EU) follows a complex, rolling system of review for active ingredients and Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) in food. For agricultural inputs, U.S. farmers must know early in the process of review to prevent or mitigate the loss of, and/or access to, chemical inputs.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bulgaria was a growing market for food and beverages, with rising consumer confidence, declining unemployment, increasing incomes, and a stable number of foreign tourists driving expansion.

On January 24, 2022 the French State Council provisionally overruled the December 2021 ministerial order banning the sale of raw CBD hemp flowers and leaves. The court noted that the flowers and leaves of cannabis sativa L. with a THC content of less than 0.3 percent were “devoid of narcotic properties” and could therefore be marketed in France.

Baltic States’ wine consumption has steadily increased in recent years due to higher disposable incomes, easier access to higher quality products, and evolving consumer trends. Since the Baltic States are European Union (EU) Member States, Baltic wine importers and distributors enjoy relatively easy access to wines available within the common market, including many U.S. wines which generally enter the EU through Western European ports of entry or Lithuania.

The tree nut market in Bulgaria had a slow, but stable recovery in marketing year (MY) 2021/22 due to reopening of the food service industry and an improved tourist and travel season. However, economic challenges, food inflation, and high energy prices have negatively affected the demand for higher-end nuts.