A last-minute provision in a Greek agriculture bill has triggered a political fight over European Union farm subsidies, with opposition parties demanding its withdrawal and questioning whether it could affect pending investigations into alleged fraud involving the country’s agricultural-payments agency.
The dispute centers on Article 74 of legislation submitted to Parliament on Sept. 15 by Greece’s Ministry of Rural Development and Food. The provision sets rules for clearing and reviewing farm-aid applications filed between 2018 and 2022 through OPEKEPE, the Greek agency responsible for administering payments under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.
Opposition parties say the provision wasn’t included in the version of the bill that went through public consultation and was added before the legislation reached Parliament.
The broader bill primarily deals with fisheries, amendments to Greece’s fisheries code and other agricultural matters.
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The timing has drawn scrutiny because European prosecutors have been investigating alleged fraud involving agricultural subsidies and OPEKEPE. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office, or EPPO, has said its investigations include allegations that applicants used false declarations concerning pastureland, leases and farming activity to obtain EU funds.
In April, EPPO said it was investigating alleged felonies and misdemeanors affecting the EU’s financial interests and requested that the Greek Parliament lift the immunity of 11 sitting lawmakers in connection with alleged conduct in 2021. Five former lawmakers were also under investigation. All people involved are presumed innocent unless found guilty by a court.
Syriza, the main left-wing opposition party, said Article 74 raises questions about whether the new rules could affect pending investigations or efforts to recover improperly paid subsidies. It called for the provision to be withdrawn and demanded that the government explain why it was added after public consultation and whether EPPO had been informed.
Panagiotis Doudonis, a lawmaker from the center-left Pasok party, went further, accusing the government of attempting to provide a legal basis that could benefit people implicated in OPEKEPE-related fraud. He called on the government to disclose whose interests the measure serves.
The Ministry of Rural Development rejects the opposition’s interpretation. Ministry officials said Article 74 neither legalizes unlawful subsidies nor changes eligibility requirements or halts audits. Instead, they said, it establishes how applications from 2018 through 2022 should be assessed so that legitimate farmers aren’t penalized because of administrative information that emerged later.
That assurance hasn’t ended the dispute. Critics are calling for explicit language stating that the provision won’t interfere with pending criminal or administrative proceedings, prevent authorities from recovering improperly paid subsidies or provide legal protection for fraudulent declarations.
The controversy comes as Greece faces continuing scrutiny over its administration of EU agricultural funds. In July, an Athens court convicted 57 people in a €1.7 million, or about $2 million, subsidy-fraud case involving payments from the EU-funded National Reserve. Prosecutors said the defendants had falsely claimed rights to agricultural land and subsidies between 2019 and 2022.
