Greek exporters have spent the past year and a half navigating a constantly shifting landscape. Beyond the familiar variables of pricing, freight and the dollar exchange rate, they have learned to factor in the cost of an announcement from the White House or a fresh escalation in the Middle East.
The numbers suggest they have managed it. Greek exports to the United States held at 2.4 billion euros in 2025, slipping just 0.3% despite the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on European goods. At the same time, Greek companies kept supplying Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel, even as disruption to shipping routes made every voyage more expensive and less predictable.
“The United States remains a market of strategic importance,” Themistoklis Sarasidis, the new president of the Greek Exporters’ Association (SEVE), told To Vima. “Despite the imposition of tariffs, Greek exports have essentially held at the same levels.” The performance, he said, shows that quality Greek products retain their competitiveness and their position in a demanding market.
A new era in transatlantic trade
The current phase in US-EU commercial relations began in the spring of 2025. On April 2, a date President Donald Trump branded “Liberation Day,” the White House unveiled its new tariff plan, placing protectionism back at the core of American economic policy with the stated aims of shrinking trade deficits and boosting domestic production.
For European businesses, what followed was a long stretch of uncertainty. Announcements, postponements, negotiations and threats of still higher duties made it difficult to plan orders and investment. Greek exporters had to recalculate prices, profit margins and the cost of access to the American market.
The agreement that eventually emerged set a ceiling of 15% on tariffs for most European products. The trade truce entered a new phase on July 1, 2026, when the European Union scrapped import duties on American industrial goods, generic pharmaceuticals and selected agricultural products, lobster among them. The deal is set to run through Dec. 31, 2029.
The 2.4 billion euro market
The United States absorbs roughly 4% of Greece’s total goods exports, a share that understates the market’s importance. What travels across the Atlantic is disproportionately high value: olive oil, table olives, feta, Greek yogurt and wine have all built a strong presence, alongside pharmaceuticals, metals and a range of industrial products.
Market sources say the tariffs raised the cost of entry and sharpened competition. In several cases, Greek firms had to absorb part of the burden or renegotiate terms with importers and distributors. Yet the track record so far indicates that the Greek presence in the American market does not rest on price alone. Quality, adaptation to American consumer demands and stable relationships with local distribution networks kept losses to a minimum. The same sources single out the resilience of Greek aluminum as particularly striking.
Exports also weathered the geopolitical turbulence triggered by the US-Iran conflict, keeping flows open to countries across the wider region. “Greek exports continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience in a highly unstable international environment, marked by geopolitical conflict, elevated transport costs and new trade barriers,” Sarasidis said.
22.9 billion euros in five months
The broader picture confirms the momentum. According to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), Greek exports reached 22.9 billion euros in the first five months of 2026, up 13.5% from the same period a year earlier.
The gain is not simply a story of petroleum products. Stripping those out, exports still rose 4.5%, evidence that the growth rests on a broader productive base. Food and beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and industrial materials remain among the strongest performing sectors.
The European Union is still the primary destination, taking more than 57% of total export value. But that dominance has not diminished the weight of markets such as the United States and the Middle East in diversifying Greece’s export portfolio.
“The messages we are receiving from our member companies are clear,” Sarasidis said. “Despite the challenges, Greek exporters continue to invest in quality, innovation and expanding their markets.”
Source: OT.gr
