Press Release

Press Release: Greece Begins to Address Period Poverty

Email: info@deonpolicy.org

Greece cuts VAT on period products from 24% to 13%

Boston, MA, November 6, 2026: For the past two years, It’s Just Period, Deon Policy Institute and WHEN have called for a reduction of VAT on period products as a measure to address period poverty.

On November 3, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that VAT on period products will be reduced from 24% to 13% from January 2027, describing the move as one of social and gender justice. This is an important first step, and it shows that period poverty is now recognized as a matter of public policy.

The announcement comes two weeks after the publication of our research on period poverty, conducted with the scientific collaboration of MRB Hellas with a sample of 2,000 people. It found that 1 in 8 women (12.5%) were unable at least once in the past 12 months to buy period products because of cost.

The VAT reduction is one of the report’s proposals and the intervention with the most support in the survey. The proposal is based on the European VAT framework (Directive 2022/542), which allows reduced or even zero rates on period products. At least 10 EU member states apply a rate below 10%, which leaves room for a further reduction in Greece.

What the research shows on VAT:

57.4%

of respondents placed the VAT reduction among their top three choices

49.2%

of women support zero VAT

€0.58

the saving on a €3 pack, even if VAT were abolished entirely

We will continue to call for a 0% rate on period products, as the European Parliament asked of all member states as early as 2019. This is also what women themselves want. Cyprus has applied a 0% rate since the beginning of 2026.

At the same time, the data show that VAT alone is not enough. Even abolishing it entirely would reduce the price of a €3 pack by about €0.58, while 55% of women say they need a reduction of at least €1 per pack to buy period products without going without other essentials.

The Prime Minister said that other measures are also under consideration. Our proposals include:

A “Period Voucher” of €130 per year for menstruating people aged 10 to 24 in less developed areas.

Expanding nationwide and making permanent the Ministry of Health and UNICEF period products programme in schools.

Price caps on basic period products.

Our data showed that period poverty in Greece is a reality. The VAT reduction is the first measure to address it, not the last. We are ready to keep working on the next steps, toward a zero rate and real access to period products for everyone. The full study, Period Poverty in Greece and Proposals to Address It, is available here.

NEXT STEPS

Next week, Ismini Drosoforidi, Founder of It’s Just Period, will speak on a panel with the Minister of Education at the Forbes awards ceremony, where she will discuss the findings of the research.

ABOUT THE INITIATIVE

The study is an initiative of It’s Just Period, Deon Policy Institute and WHEN, with the scientific collaboration of MRB Hellas and valuable funding from Lidl Hellas and the Mediterranean Women’s Fund.

About Deon Policy Institute

Founded by a group of Greek academics, entrepreneurs, and professionals, the Deon Policy Institute is a non-partisan think tank that aims to organize and transform the Hellenic Diaspora into a catalyst for the progress of Greece.