Athens has been given a rude awakening by the EU. Greece will have to repay the European Commission 347.5 million euros that were wrongfully spent, against the rules of the common agricultural policy. The announcement came today from Brussels, which asked 19 states to repay the EU a total of 578.5 million euros. Athens is paying the highest price, since they have a long list of unfulfilled obligations.
The sum includes 210.9 million euros for deficiencies in the identification system for agricultural parcels and the geographic information system. The sum also includes onsite inspections for the 2006 questions regarding spending for aid received for land, including rural development measures associated with land. Another 54.7 million euros involve raising production due to shortcomings associated with reducing the minimum yields, the specialisation of lands, management of the vineyard register and the integrated management and control system for the 2003-2007 fiscal years. Another 50.16 million euros will be reimbursed for not having reduced the aid distributed for not adhering to requirements associated with keeping records for sheep, a lack of onsite and administrative inspections and the absence of specific risk criteria regarding inspections for supplementary bonuses for disadvantaged areas.
Another 19.76 million euros will be repaid due to tobacco deliveries after preset limits, a lack of payment of the primary processors and the transferral of cultivation contracts. The entire amount to be paid back totals 347.5 million euros. “We are working to carefully control agricultural spending and to guarantee that the taxpayers’ money is being well-spent,” said EU Agricultural Commissioner Dacian Ciolos.
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