Digital “blockade” for minors on alcohol, tobacco and vaping: alto.gov.gr and events.gov.gr set rules

For a long time, the phenomenon spread without clear boundaries and without the possibility of meaningful capture. A kiosk on the corner, a convenience store open late, a bar that “doesn’t look too hard” at age groups. Minors’ access to tobacco products, vaping devices and alcohol was not shaped through a single market, but through thousands of small, daily transactions that left little trace. The prohibition existed, but its enforcement remained… selective.

Today, this unseen reality is beginning to take on a clear contour, through a project that is up and running and evolving at a rapid pace. At its core is the digital infrastructure developed by the Ministry of Digital Governance, using specific applications through which the control of the market and night-time activity is being put into practice. The alto.gov.gr and events.gov.gr platforms are the basic tools of a system that for the first time records, cross-references and controls, in real time, movements that until recently remained fragmentarily visible.

Up from 88.600 entries of sales outlets – from liquor stores and bars to mini-markets and kiosks – have already joined the digital register of alto.gov.gr, while the number of participating businesses exceeds 79,000 (a business can have more than one shop). The scale of participation, in such a short period of time, reflects the pace at which the project is progressing, turning a diffuse market into a single, mapped field.

The function is specific and immediate. Through alto.gov.gr, any business selling tobacco, alcohol or vaping products must register, register its details and prove that it meets the legal requirements. Upon completion of the procedure, a document with a QR code is issued, which enables immediate control by the competent authorities.

The marketplace has limits

This development is part of a wider plan that is being implemented at an accelerated pace, with the clear aim of protecting minors. Mandatory use of the platform means that activity on the market for these products passes through a single digital filter. Anyone who is not registered in the system cannot sell. And in the event of a breach, the activity can be revoked.

The inclusion of vaping products in the same register as traditional tobacco and alcohol reflects a reality that has changed in recent years. New forms of consumption, with increased appeal to younger people, are now being integrated into a single control framework. Thus, the market is gaining clear boundaries where until recently there were ambiguities.

The change is not only institutional, but also functional. Controls are becoming more targeted, the market picture clearer and the possibility of circumventing the rules more limited. The protection of minors ceases to depend on piecemeal interventions and gains a solid, measurable basis through tools that work every day.

Nightly entertainment “under surveillance”

Nightly entertainment “under surveillance”

The management of the presence of minors in nightlife venues is part of the same digital environment. Through the events.gov.gr platform, every private event involving minors is recorded, reported and monitored. The process is specific: the venue declares the event, the organiser accepts it and the system produces a digital private agreement with a QR code and time stamp.

In just one and a half months of operation, 149 events have already been registered, while more than 180 businesses have joined the platform. The speed at which the data is being collected shows that the system is not a pilot, but is actively expanding. The geographic spread — from Ioannina and Glyfada to Heraklion and Thessaloniki — reflects a phenomenon that runs throughout the country.

Digital recording also changes the terms of liability. Organisers and businesses now operate within a framework where every event leaves a digital footprint and can be instantly audited. Exceptions become specific, limited and fully documented.

General guidelines

-To subscribe to the alto.gov.gr platform for businesses selling tobacco products:

* Tax Identification Number (A.Tax Identification Number, Sole Proprietorship or Legal Entity

* Valid product sales license where required