The creation of a mechanism for the recovery of aid money that was illegally received by producers as well as the blockage of payments for organic farming and organic beekeeping until the checks were completed, was announced by the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Kostas Tsiaras.

“Through processes that will evolve in the coming period, a mechanism of recovery will be created for all these money that may have been given illegally.”Mr Tsiaras made it clear and added that the government has already begun a radical reconstruction process of OPEKEPE, while the full clarification of the subsidy case is a commitment to political and institutional burden, which, as he pointed out, would proceed independently.

Referring to the revelations triggered by the prosecutor’s investigation, Mr Tsiaras pointed out that “There were probably people who took money without being entitled to it,” adding that “this money could have been directed to real farmers”. The minister emphasized that the problem is not new, nor a co -host. ‘Comes from the past, with pathogenesis described for years but as State we never managed to deal with them. This is a multifactorial problem that the government is trying to deal with as a whole. “he noted.

The Minister of Rural Development and Food has made it clear that now the focus is at the center of statements for biological productionstressing that if the checks are not completed, organic beekeeping and biological livestock will not be paid immediately. paid on June 30. Note that organic farming will be paid normally.

He also stressed that from the first day of taking his duties, then prime ministerstarted interventions in OPECEPE. He explained, however, that OPEKEPE had basic institutional and organizational deficiencies: “There was no fixed technical adviser. The company that had the information system operated without a long -term contract. There was no possibility of surrendering projects to the predicted times. The system was under -staffed, with no mobility or hiring interest. These have just begun to be corrected just recently ”, Recalling that without land registry and forest maps, the grazing plans could not proceed with, of course, taking into account the inability of the regions to compile them.

In terms of complaints about iconic pasturesthe Minister pointed out: “We could not know how much the animals are” fit “when there are no pasture or local maps. Since 2015 and 2017 there have been legislative interventions by previous governments, which have allowed pastures to be declared without animals. “

In terms of under -staffing of Organization and grazing plansMr. Tsiaras underlined: “Through the OAED and the Ministry of Employment we will secure 100 additional people to strengthen the OPEKEPE control mechanism. At the same time, the ministry has regained the responsibility of special grazing plans by the Regions in order to proceed with the task of imprinting the pasture. “

The Minister also referred to cooperation with the European Commission:

“We put OPEKEPE surveillance, agreeing with the EU Directorate -General for Agriculture. to implement an action plan. Since September 11, 2024, OPECEPE has entered the reform orbit. We will not leave room for “windows” of the past. ” In closing, the minister made it clear that ‘It is not right to target any circumference‘. The problem, as he said, “It does not only concern one areabut an overall system that we are now called upon to reform. “