Greece has introduced a new digital application designed to verify the age of customers purchasing tobacco and alcohol, part of a broader effort to enforce a ban on sales to minors enacted last summer, according to Euronews.

The system was unveiled by Health Minister Adonis Georgiades, alongside officials from the ministries of Citizen Protection and Digital Governance. It aims to eliminate a longstanding loophole that allowed retailers to claim they were unaware a customer was underage. “What we are doing today removes that excuse,” Georgiades said, adding that the system simplifies oversight and strengthens the enforcement of fines.

Officials describe the rollout as a European first. Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou noted that the technology mirrors age-verification methods used by the European Union for online platforms and social media, marking the first time such an approach has been applied in physical retail through Greece’s digital wallet infrastructure.

Since the law came into force on 7 July 2025, authorities have conducted approximately 82,000 inspections, already more than half of the 133,000 carried out throughout 2024. Police have made 313 arrests, with 67% related to alcohol offences.

The updated legal framework requires retailers to verify customers’ ages and obliges organizers to report private events involving minors, giving authorities broader powers to monitor and enforce compliance.