Greek farmers wrongly took €22 million in EU aid, minister says

Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis said in a televised statement that checks so far on more than 6,000 of over 800,000 applications showed at least €22.67 million (around ₹193 crore) had been wrongly claimed.

“We can’t and we should not tolerate people coveting public money, whether it’s state or European,” Reuters quoted Chrysochoidis as saying. “It’s our duty to use all available mechanisms to prevent and, when needed, investigate, identify and punish offenders.”

In March, European prosecutors charged dozens of Greek livestock farmers with making false declarations about owning or leasing pastureland in order to receive EU aid.

The EU fined Greece €392 million (about ₹3,340 crore) in June over mismanagement of agricultural subsidies between 2016 and 2023 by OPEKEPE, which distributes more than €2 billion (₹17,000 crore) each year in EU farm support.

Some senior OPEKEPE officials have been investigated by EU prosecutors. They have denied wrongdoing. The government has said OPEKEPE’s responsibilities will be transferred to the state revenue authority to strengthen oversight.

The case has been sent to parliament, the only body with the power to investigate politicians. Lawmakers are expected to form a committee to look into OPEKEPE’s handling of EU subsidies.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s government, re-elected in 2023, has already seen four ministers resign over the scandal. They have also denied wrongdoing.

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