Greece did not absorb a single euro from the EU’s fruit and vegetables in schools program because no tender was submitted to a call, according to EURACTIV.com.
The European Commission recently announced the absorption rates of a 150 million euro program, which aims at distributing fruits and vegetables in schools for the 2015-2016 period.
The EU-funded scheme provides school children with fruits and vegetables, aiming to encourage good eating habits in young people and promote a healthier lifestyle.
Bulgaria, Hungary, and Lithuania have absorbed all the funds allocated to them, while Cyprus absorbed 84.8% and Croatia 96.9%.
Greece was the only EU country that did not absorb any amount from the 3.1 million euros to which it was entitled for its schools.
EURACTIV spoke with a Commission spokesperson who said that Greece notified the EU executive of its intention to participate in the school fruits and vegetables scheme during the 2015-2016 school year, which prompted an allocation of 3.143 million euros for Athens under the scheme.
“The Commission services have accompanied Greece all along the process just as they do with every other member state. However, no tenders were submitted to the call to select a body to supply fruit and vegetables,” the EU official said, adding that this led to the scheme not being implemented due to these external reasons.
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