Under the looming threat of on-site inspections announced by the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, several beneficiaries are rushing to voluntarily withdraw from organic farming and beekeeping programs before facing consequences. This was highlighted by Minister Kostas Tsiaras in an interview with Real Fm.
According to Tsiaras, there have already been cases of producers either canceling their contracts with certification bodies — a prerequisite for joining the biological livestock and beekeeping program — or declaring their intention to withdraw their applications. He stated that this development indicates that intensive inspections, which are about to begin, are already triggering the first wave of withdrawals even before they are fully implemented.
Tsiaras also emphasized that the government’s top priority, through a special team formed via the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), Financial Police, and other control mechanisms (including the Ministry itself), is to recover unlawfully paid subsidies from those who received them. The government aims to complete this process within the coming months, making it clear that the state will pursue these funds from beneficiaries who received them illegally, and reiterated that those who violated the rules would face criminal liability.
When asked whether there is a real risk of funding cuts for farmers, Tsiaras stressed that the cleansing of the Agricultural Insurance Organization (OPEKEPE) through the implementation of its action plan and its integration into AADE provides guarantees that EU funds will continue flowing uninterrupted to Greece. Furthermore, through redistribution and enhanced controls, more resources will be secured for genuine farmers.
Earlier, responding to an urgent question from Alexis Charitsis, President of the New Left party, regarding OPEKEPE, Tsiaras characterized opposition reactions as hypocritical. He noted that the current administration has already taken responsibility where applicable but pointed out that the issue does not concern only the present government. He described it as a problem rooted in the past, spanning from 2016 to 2023, emphasizing that fines during 2016–2019 alone amounted to €103 million — a significantly higher amount than penalties imposed on other countries like Italy.
He added that some fraud cases currently under investigation stem from decisions and legislative interventions made during the SYRIZA government. “Whoever claims they’re falling from the clouds is feigning surprise,” he said, urging all political forces to acknowledge reality: that OPEKEPE operated with inadequate control mechanisms for years, leading the European Commission to impose penalties. He noted that this is not the first time fines have been imposed on OPEKEPE, recalling that €680 million in fines were levied between 1996 and 2004, and serious sanctions were applied in the 1980s.
Tsiaras clarified that the disputed fine does not pertain to ongoing investigations by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office into fraud cases but rather concerns the poor application of EU rules on subsidies and lack of proper monitoring systems and pasture maps. He warned against conflating the two issues in public perception.
The minister defended the government’s plan for managing the fine, reminding that an appeal will be filed. He explained that the goal is to settle the amount via offsetting future subsidies rather than using the state budget. Part of the sum will be covered by amounts returned to the state budget and efficiency improvements already initiated.
Referring to OPEKEPE’s recovery steps, Tsiaras reiterated that transparency and restoring the organization’s credibility were personal priorities since assuming office. He recalled that an action plan with the European Commission is already in place, while intensified checks have begun and the agency has been reinforced with 100 new scientists through the General Secretariat for Information Systems (DIPA). He described the transfer of OPEKEPE to AADE as a major reform ensuring cross-checking through information systems and strengthening internal audit mechanisms.
Finally, he reminded that for the first time, €53 million was recovered from 196,000 producers for incorrect payments related to 2022. In response to Charitsis’ accusations, he underscored that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office was established by the current government after four years of inaction under the SYRIZA-led administration, saying, “Even the independent tool you invoke today was activated by New Democracy.”