After the news site Politico conducted extensive research into fraud in the Greek agricultural sector, Greek authorities announced they are launching their own investigation. Agriculture Minister Kostas Tsiaras stated that Athens "cannot put the flow of European funds at risk" and that "full transparency is essential to ensure subsidies reach those who truly deserve them."
It was said that the subsidy scheme involved thousands of farmers and applicants receiving funding on false grounds, but the Greek Control Agency (OPEKEPE) reported that only €400,000 is under investigation, with many applicants already repaying money or having never received payments.
Minister Tsiaras has ordered more audits and is working on a new bill to map agricultural pasturelands. The news site Politico reported that since 2017, Greek citizens have received subsidies for pastures they did not own or lease, or for agricultural activities that never took place.
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Greece has more than 6,000 islands, of which about 250 are inhabited. Only around 80 islands have more than 100 residents. Due to this geographic structure, the country hardly has a well-functioning land registry, and the central government in Athens has little oversight and control over local (agricultural) activities. This also applies to the collection of many taxes. This was also the case in 2010 when the Greek debt crisis came to light, during which Athens provided Brussels with incorrect or falsified data for years.
Authorities now say they found over 16,000 tax IDs linked to irregular claims and have verified 7,786 for review, with 1,497 under judicial supervision and financial police investigating 2,767 more. An EU report states that the investigation by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) focuses not only on fraudulent beneficiaries but also on the possible involvement of authorities from the Greek organization that distributes the agricultural subsidies.
Most suspicious applications came from Crete, which in 2020 received two-thirds of Greece's total agricultural subsidies. In some cases, beneficiaries even received subsidies for land outside Greece. The EPPO has been investigating the case since 2021 and has already brought seventy cases before Greek courts.