European Commission on OPEKEPE: “The Greek authorities have complied with our requests – There is no reason to suspend funding”

The European Commission said today, successful effect to a question from APM, that Greece has until Nov. 2 to taxable a new, improved enactment program that satisfactorily addresses its concerns astir the cognition of the OPEKEPE. At the aforesaid time, Ballas Uzvari, the spokesperson for cultivation affairs, noted that “so acold the Greek authorities person complied” with what the Commission has requested, and there is nary crushed to suspend funding.

Specifically, asked astir the missive from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development to the Greek authorities that was leaked to the Greek press, the spokesperson for cultivation issues replied that this is an contented concerning OPEKEPE and dates backmost to September 2024. “At that time, the Commission carried retired an audit and we identified superior concerns astir the mode the Greek organisation OPEKEPE was operating and due to the fact that of this, we requested an enactment program specifically to code this situation,” helium said, adding that “the Greek authorities started moving connected an enactment plan, which they submitted astatine the opening of June 2025.” The Commission subsequently examined the program successful item and successful aboriginal August replied again to the Greek authorities “expressing concerns” due to the fact that it was “not afloat satisfied” with the effect it had received. The Commission “explained precise well” successful its missive “how we expect the Greek authorities to further amended the enactment plan,” B. Uzvari said.

The Greek authorities “have 2 months to respond,” the aforesaid Commission spokesperson said, adding that “while we await this updated enactment program from the Greek authorities, successful the meantime determination are bully contacts betwixt the 2 sides.” B. Uzvari besides explained that “so acold the Greek authorities person complied with what we person requested from the competent authorization procedurally” and the Commission has nary crushed to judge different successful this lawsuit arsenic well. “We person nary crushed to presume that the updated enactment program volition not scope america successful time,” the Commission spokesperson said. He noted, however, that “in principle, if an enactment program is not submitted connected time, it could perchance pb to a suspension of funding.”

Regarding the integration of OPEKEPE into the Hellenic Independent Public Revenue Authority (Hellenic ADEA), the Commission confirmed that, astatine the petition of the Greek authorities, the Commission decided to assistance a six-month extension, until the opening of March, to let clip for the enactment program to beryllium agreed upon. As B. Uzvari said, this “is portion of the discussions and is an ongoing issue.”

It should beryllium noted that Greece was primitively fixed a deadline to taxable a new, improved enactment program by October 2, but owed to the August holidays, the deadline was pushed backmost to November 2.