The economic service of the Greek Police is conducting audits at OPEKEPE, as confirmed by the Minister of Agricultural Development, Kostas Tsiaras, speaking on Parapolitika 90.1 radio show “Bras de fer” with journalists Dimitris Takis and Christina Korae. He emphasized that the fine from the European Commission is administrative and does not relate to the criminal case, while also noting that it will not be paid by taxpaying citizens.
Mr. Tsiaras also mentioned that in organic beekeeping, data was presented that was far from reality, and subsidies will only be paid after necessary audits are conducted. Regarding compensation for damages caused by Storm Daniel, he said that all data held by himself and ELGA has been forwarded to the relevant authorities.
Excerpts from Kostas Tsiaras’ interview on Parapolitika 90.1
Among other things, Kostas Tsiaras emphasized:
Asked whether the European Commission fine is for illegal pastures or concerns other administrative irregularities and how it will be paid
K.TSIARAS: It concerns an administrative fine similar to those imposed on OPEKEPE many times by the European Commission. The European Commission checks whether the procedure by which OPEKEPE distributes European resources falls within the procedure adopted as standard by the Commission itself. What are the problems and why is this administrative fine imposed? There is no standardized method for payment of community resources, the required audits are not conducted to the required extent, there is often no possibility to use necessary tools, we don’t have pasture maps in this case. It’s not about pasture maps but about the absence of specific tools necessary for proper payment procedures.
JOURNALIST: So it has nothing to do with the criminal case sent to Parliament by the European Prosecutor’s Office?
K.TSIARAS: Not at all, it is not connected in any way with the criminal case we have been discussing recently. The announcement of the fine coincided almost chronologically with the transmission of the case file from the European Prosecutor’s Office to the Greek Parliament, and there is always confusion about this.
K.TSIARAS: This fine concerns audits conducted from 2014 to 2023. It is divided into the period 2016 to 2023 – of the 415 million euros, 105 million concerns the period ’16-’18 and the rest the period from ’19 to ’23. What is the European Commission’s logic? They requested certain things in ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17, ’18, ’19 – these things weren’t done for various reasons, a first fine is imposed when they find that three-four years later these things still haven’t been done, the fine increases. Let me clarify that these fines are not the first time they have been imposed on Greece and OPEKEPE or the European Resources Management Organization. From 1996 to 2004, fines of 860 million euros were imposed. Greece has been paying such fines over time. This doesn’t only concern Greece, it concerns many European countries.
K.TSIARAS: I’m trying to make it understood that this specific fine is not connected in any way with the specific criminal case. Now, whether this bad practice that had been adopted and essentially made OPEKEPE’s operation problematic in the eyes of the European Commission obviously could have opened some windows for illegal behavior and for some people to illegally receive money…
K.TSIARAS: This specific fine will be withheld in three annual installments from the annual payments made for CAP resources to OPEKEPE. This money is recorded in the state budget… I have clarified that it doesn’t mean Greek taxpaying citizens will pay it. We said that if there is a gap, it will be covered by the national treasury, but I believe that with the return of all illegally given money from OPEKEPE, a large part of the fine will be covered… I believe that through the rationalization of the payment system, guided by payments for organic livestock and organic beekeeping, a very large amount of resources will be saved that will ultimately help us so that it won’t be transferred to the national treasury or at the expense of those who should receive subsidies.
On organic livestock and organic beekeeping
K.TSIARAS: Organic livestock and organic beekeeping were not paid on June 30 as scheduled because the numbers presented to the ministry regarding pasture area and number of hives exceeded all logic. The number presented was one that could correspond to the total number of hives when we talk about organic beekeeping. Until 2023, 8 million had been calculated for organic beekeeping and given, we had calculated 18 million for this call which could become 36, and the amount requested through applications reached 166 million euros. I have announced that all payments will be made after audit.
Asked if the Greek FBI entered OPEKEPE
K.TSIARAS: I think all this is happening within the framework of the effort this specific team is making to conduct audits. I was just informed that this is happening. The presence of the economic service of the Greek Police concerns gathering data so they can do their job properly.
Regarding the preliminary investigation
K.TSIARAS: We have said that timely, at the appropriate time and after studying the case file, we will submit our own proposal. I think we have proven that on such issues the government approaches with proper institutionality but also with a willingness for everything to come to light and not through a logic of petty partisan opportunism as we often see adopted by opposition parties. We have said that everything will come to light, that we will take the money from all those who have taken it illegally and we have said that everyone will face criminal responsibilities – no one is exempt from this.
Asked if there is an investigation by the European Prosecutor’s Office for compensation given for Storm Daniel
K.TSIARAS: Certainly, any complaint that has been forwarded to me or to ELGA regarding this specific issue, know that it has been forwarded to the Greek judicial authorities without any delay and without hesitation. If there are issues, we want everything to come to light.
