The characterization of atmospheric New Particle Formation (NPF) is crucial for studying the production processes of secondary aerosol particles. This study investigates the role of ions in identifying and classifying NPF events at the Finokalia environmental research station in Crete, Greece, using the observed ion and particle size distributions over three years (June 2020 - May 2023). Traditional methods classify events based on visible particle growth, often leading to underestimation of NPF’s occurrence frequency. Recent methodologies propose that ”quiet” NPF (QNPF) events, which are not traditionally classified as NPF events, can contribute significantly to particle number concentrations. By analyzing ion number size distributions observed with a Neutral cluster and Air Ion Spectrometer (NAIS) and applying a nanoparticle ranking analysis method, this study reveals that QNPF events are frequent and contribute significantly to particle formation and growth in the Eastern Mediterranean, providing fundamentally new understanding of NPF processes in the region.