At a time when all elements of the Greek tourist industry are working hard with health officials to minimise the impact of Covid and make Greece a safe place for foreign tourists to visit, misinterpretation of EU Brexit directives by the AADE put income estimated at tens of millions of Euros at risk.

The argument is over the AADE’s refusal to follow EU directives on the Union Customs Code and the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. This states that any (tax paid) British flagged vessel in EU27 waters at midnight on 31st December 2020 automatically retained EU27 VAT tax paid status.

Greece has been a popular cruising area for British sailors for more than 50 years and around 5,000+ owners have contracts to keep their boats permanently in Greece, many owners typically spending the entire summer in the country.

Six months prior to Brexit, the London-based Cruising Association entered into talks with government officials to see if a combined cruising tax and visa could be introduced to ensure British owners could keep on visiting their boats for up to six months at a time rather than just the 90-day restriction imposed by Schengen rules.

“A positive outcome would have been a win/win situation for everyone and negotiations seemed to be going well,” claimed Christopher Robb of the CA. “We were taken by complete surprise when the AADE announced they would not recognise the VAT paid status of British boats.”

The AADE decision effectively limits the time a British vessel can spend in Greek waters to just 18 months before it must leave. Ironically, the rest of the EU are prepared to welcome this exodus of boats without any such time restriction. France has already agreed to offer six-month visas to boat owners allowing them summer long cruising. Many yachts will now move to overwinter in Turkish boatyards and may never return. This would be a massive loss for Greek Marinas.

“We really do not understand why the AADE have adopted this unique position,” Mr Robb continued. “It will not only have a major negative impact on Greece’s marine infrastructure but will devastate the economy of many smaller islands who rely heavily on visiting yachts for their income.”

The Cruising Association has lodged an official complaint with the EU Commission over AADE’s non-compliance with EU law. Whilst Christopher Robb remains optimistic that the issue will be resolved amicably, he admits that some owners have already made plans to leave Greek waters the moment Covid restrictions are lifted. International shipping agents Peters & May are scheduling a weekly boat relocation service from the Ionian, a service totally unheard of prior to the AADE’s decision.

The UK allows EU citizens to visit Britain without the need for a visa for up to six months. However Schengen rules limit UK visitors to just 90 days in every 180 days.
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com

The CA’s 190-day Campaign is aimed at persuading the EU’s (Schengen) coastal member states to offer long stay visas designed for the special circumstances of sailing and boating which treats a boat as a valid accommodation address and allows a whole season of cruising. Visiting the boat for maintenance during the winter, and other visits to EU countries would then be possible under Schengen’s 90/180 rule.

The CA:
The Cruising Association (CA) celebrated its 110th Anniversary in 2018. Founded in 1908 specifically to meet the needs of cruising sailors, the Cruising Association (CA) has been a home to many of the great names in sailing. It is a non-profit mutually supportive association and is acknowledged as the leading organisation for cruising sailors and motor cruisers, with over 6,300 members around the world.

The CA provides services, information, help and advice to sailors worldwide using a variety of communication platforms including its inter-active website, CAptain's Mate App, Forums, Rallies, Seminars and Events, Newsletters and the in-house quarterly magazine Cruising.

Well-known names associated with the CA include HRH The Princess Royal and the CA's Patron, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Supporters also include Keith Musto, Tom Cunliffe, Jeanne Socrates and Don Street, amongst others. 

www.theca.org.uk