Overdue agricultural subsidy payments, including those for organic farming and beekeeping, will begin disbursing next week, Agriculture Minister Kostas Tsiaras has announced following delays caused by the implementation of a new, stricter auditing system.
In a series of media interviews, Mr. Tsiaras said the government is now applying rigorous cross-checks mandated by the European Commission to ensure transparency and prevent the irregularities of the past.
"Payments cannot proceed without thorough and cross-checked audits," he said, noting it was the first time such controls were being applied.
The delays, he explained, were largely due to invalid or missing property identification numbers on about 10% of applications.
The minister also confirmed that compensation for farmers in Thessaly impacted by Storm Daniel and for livestock breeders affected by the recent Bluetongue disease outbreak would follow shortly.
He dismissed rumors that €1.2 billion in funds were owed to farmers, stating, "Such amounts do not exist," and insisted that E.U. funds are not frozen.
Mr. Tsiaras said he aims to complete the bulk of payments by the end of the year.
The move to a stricter system follows a major fraud scandal at the former OPEKEPE payments agency, which is currently under investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. The government is working to restore trust in the system and ensure that funds are legally distributed.
Regarding the Bluetongue outbreak, Mr. Tsiaras said the ministry has deployed over 150 veterinarians and urged farmers to cooperate fully with biosecurity measures.
"If we don’t all cooperate, we won’t be able to control the disease,” he warned.