Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met at Maximos Mansion with the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen, who is visiting Greece as part of his tour of EU member states.
During the meeting, issues relating to Mr. Hansen’s portfolio were discussed, with emphasis on the reform of the agricultural subsidy system, focusing on the transfer of the Greek Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid (OPEKEPE) to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), and on the new Common Agricultural Policy.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis and Minister of Rural Development and Food Kostas Tsiaras.
At the start of their meeting, the Prime Minister and the European Commissioner had the following dialogue:
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Commissioner, it’s good to have you here. I understand that you’ve already had very productive discussions with the Vice President and with Minister Tsiaras. You come at a time, of course, when the number one issue on the agenda concerns the reform of the Payment and Control Agency for Agricultural Aid, OPEKEPE. We’ve taken a very difficult, but I think necessary, decision to essentially transfer all the responsibilities of OPEKEPE into our internal revenue agency. It’s a complex transition process, but I think it’s moving well.
We have submitted our own plan to your services, demonstrating our commitment to transparency and to finally addressing all the legacy issues from the past. I know this is not just a Greek problem, it’s a problem that many other countries are facing. But we know, and I take full ownership in terms of putting our own house in order, I want to communicate to you that there is commitment at the highest level of the government to address all the problems of the past.
The transition is difficult, because we need to make the payments, at the same time we need to be sure that what we do is in compliance with the European legislative framework.
But I want you to be absolutely certain that we view this as one of the most important reforms that we are implementing and that we remain fully committed to ensuring that the new system will be efficient and totally transparent. For me, it’s a precondition for the flourishing of our agricultural sector, which has been doing well recently, but can do much better.
Christophe Hansen: Thank you very much, Prime Minister, for having me here. It’s my second day of my visit to Greece. I have to say I didn’t come here for the reason that you just addressed, but I came here because I promised in the beginning of my mandate to visit all the member states in the first year, because I believe it’s very important to learn about the diversity of our agriculture and food production in the European Union, because this is, let’s say, the wealth and the strength of our agriculture.
I’ve recently been to Brazil with a delegation of 80 European agrifood producers, including seven companies from Greece in the dairy sector, in the olive oil sector, in the wine and spirit sector. Your cultural heritage, which is your high-quality food, is as well something we can be, as Europeans, very proud of.
Then, of course, I am as well here because we are speaking about the future of the Common Agriculture Policy, the next Multiannual Financial Framework, which is, of course, a new structure. But nonetheless, I think we need to better target as well the subsidies to our farmers, to those who are most at need. For me, this is the young farmers. We have a huge challenge with the generation renewal. We have as well a huge challenge with farmers producing in regions with natural constraints. I want that the money goes primarily to those who are most at need, young farmers in difficult regions. I think that is something where we need to work on over the next two years together.
Also, on the CAP proposal and on the MFF proposal, I think we need to discuss how the money can be best used, but I think there is sufficient availability. What is for me very important as well is that the money goes to the genuine farmers, to those who are actively contributing to our food security and our food sovereignty, and that is what is on the table.
But of course, it was as well the opportunity to discuss the shortcomings of the OPEKEPE situation where we know that a lot of issues have been accumulated over the last decades and that we need to remedy that. I would like to thank you, Prime Minister, that you took this as a very high priority to remedy these shortcomings and that we now together as well, look how we can solve this issue.
I would say we got as well your action plan, and I think it’s very good that it came timely. But I also say this is not a sprint, it is a marathon. You will have the marathon here in Athens on Sunday, I believe. I would say we are already on a good track. The athlete is in a good shape, and we have now to continue the good work that we have done over the last weeks and months together in order to make sure that the farmers and the Greek farmers get their support according to the EU rules. There we are strongly cooperating, and this cooperation will continue over the next months.
