A new crackdown on draft evaders and deserters is being launched by Greece’s Ministries of National Defence and National Economy and Finance following the signing and publication in the Government Gazette of a new joint ministerial decision, which activates a stricter framework for the certification and collection of debts through tax offices (DOY) and the Center for Certification and Collection (KEVEIS).

The new system provides for fines of up to €6,000 and opens the way for collection through the tax mechanism for those who fail to fulfill their military obligations.

The military status of thousands of citizens is now entering a new regime, as the new decision is directly linked to the “Transition Roadmap of the Armed Forces into the New Era” and provides for stricter monitoring procedures for draft evaders, deserters, and reservists.

According to the Ministry of National Defence’s planning, there are approximately 37,700 cases of draft evasion, of which around 20,300 concern citizens inside Greece and 17,400 abroad.

Under the new framework, draft evaders are defined as those who fail to report for enlistment on the specified dates following a general or special call-up by the Armed Forces, as well as reservists who do not respond to a summons for military service without a lawful reason.

Draft evaders are subject to the criminal penalties provided by the Military Penal Code, as well as financial penalties of a personal nature, in addition to the prescribed restrictions and prohibitions. The financial fine is set at €6,000, while for draft-evading reservists it is set at €1,000.

Special fines are also imposed on deserters. Specifically, in addition to the criminal penalties provided under the Military Penal Code, a financial fine of €1,000 per month of desertion is imposed, up to a total of €6,000, also of a personal nature.

The new ministerial decision published in the Government Gazette states that the financial fine will be imposed by decision of the Director of the competent Military Recruitment Office and will be formally communicated to the individual concerned. The decision must include the individual’s civil registry details, Tax Identification Number (AFM), military registration number, the reason and legal basis for the fine, the amount owed, and the detailed state budget revenue account to which the amount must be paid.

There is also a special provision for cases where desertion lasted less than one month. In those cases, the fine will be calculated proportionally based on the number of days of desertion.

For the certification of the financial fine, the competent Military Recruitment Office will prepare a financial register, which together with the fine decision will be sent to the competent tax office (DOY) or the Center for Certification and Collection (KEVEIS) for assessment and collection under the Public Revenue Collection Code.

In practice, this means the debts will now be treated like any other overdue debt to the state, paving the way even for compulsory collection measures in cases of non-payment.

In fact, where the liable person does not have a Tax Identification Number (AFM), an automatic assignment procedure by the Tax Administration will be activated so that the assessment and collection process can be completed.

At the same time, the new framework also provides for procedures to cancel or erase fines in specific cases, such as regularization of draft evasion status, determination that the fine was imposed without lawful cause, or the death of the liable person.

Draft evasion ends exclusively upon the draft evader reaching the age of 45, and for reservist draft evaders upon reaching the age of 60; through enlistment in the Armed Forces; arrest for draft evasion; reporting to a military or consular authority to terminate draft evasion status; classification as medically unfit for service; or the granting of a deferment for health reasons.

The process may also be interrupted by the beginning of detention, enrollment in a drug rehabilitation program, or enlistment in the regular armed forces of a foreign state, provided a relevant deferment has been granted. In these cases, criminal prosecution is also suspended for as long as the deferment remains in effect.

The new decision simultaneously abolishes the previous joint ministerial decisions of 2011 and 2023, creating a unified framework for the imposition, certification, and cancellation of military-service fines within the new digital environment of the Armed Forces.