Greece will invest more than 20 billion euros in its agricultural sector over the next six years, Rural Development and Food Minister Margaritis Schinas announced, framing the package as both a domestic modernization drive and a strategic position ahead of negotiations over the European Union's next Common Agricultural Policy.
Mr. Schinas, a former European Commission Vice-President who took the agriculture portfolio following a recent cabinet reshuffle, unveiled the funding commitment during a town hall with local farming associations in Nea Triglia, Chalkidiki, on a regional tour that included inspections at the Michaniona fish pier to assess infrastructure needs firsthand.
"Greece will actively participate in shaping the new European framework," Mr. Schinas said. "We are demanding substantial financial resources and, crucially, greater national flexibility. The distinct microclimates of Mediterranean cultivation require tailored legislative management that differs fundamentally from northern European farming models."
The minister outlined three immediate priorities: restoring the financial credibility of state agricultural subsidies, cutting bureaucratic red tape and accelerating private investment to increase the export value of Greek farm produce.
He acknowledged recent logistical difficulties with subsidy disbursements but said legal safeguards are in place to ensure smooth payments going forward.
The 20-billion-euro figure covers funding through the end of the decade and is designed to position Greece as an active shaper — rather than a passive recipient — of whatever framework emerges from the CAP negotiations.
Mr. Schinas's Mediterranean flexibility argument is expected to find allies among southern European member states with similar structural complaints about a policy long criticized for favoring northern European farming conditions.