The help funds regarding 650,000 farmers are up within the air because the administration of OPEKEPE doesn’t permit the total operation of the federal government platform for the submission of declarations for the yr 2024.
On the identical time, a collection of errors by the Group and its technical adviser in issues of funds name into query quantities which have been paid to farmers, with the end result that roughly 200,000 are threatened with a refund of 63 million euros.
Farmers
Specifically, and based on complaints, the blocking of the opening of the IASC declaration submission platform for 2024 on the Declaration Reception Facilities testifies that the video games of particular enterprise pursuits maintain nicely…
But in addition the inaccurate fee of 63 million euros, detected by the European Fee – having underneath the supervision of OPEKEPE – hides the try and pay non-existent agricultural VAT numbers.
The accountability of OPEKEPE…
Specifically, on July 3, the Group with its announcement and in response to associated publications revealed errors made by itself and its technical advisor in issues of funds: “Within the context of the audit of the European Court docket of Auditors, which was carried out for the yr of submission of purposes 2022 , a horizontal error was discovered within the fee calculation course of. In additional element”, OPEKEPE continues, “the error resulted from the mistaken use of a line of rights for the yr 2021 as an alternative of the right yr 2022, in a selected cross-check that led to an incorrect fee in July 2023. The error in query considerations 196,083 beneficiaries and the quantity preliminary estimate was 63,035,249.77 euros, which after a re-calculation by OPEKEPE was decided at 50,755,440.32 euros”.
Errors, that’s, with the cash that farmers are entitled to…
Actually, OPEKEPE in its identical announcement neither extra nor much less pronounces that the farmers can be requested to return this cash…: “These quantities are entered within the E-book of Debtors and are set off of their entirety with future funds whatever the yr of purposes, which they concern, following the usual process relevant in such circumstances. Due to this fact, these are unduly paid quantities”.
The error… of the technical advisor
For many who understand how the calculation of farmers’ assist funds, that are made by the technical advisor (with a protracted expertise in fee issues…) works, it’s understood that the “error” resulted from the mistaken use of the 2021 entitlement line as an alternative of the right one yr 2022, in a selected cross-check.
Sources report back to the OT that the particular technical advisor didn’t use the info of rights and farmers that had been on gov.gr from 2022 however the information of 2021 that he had as a backup in his personal non-public amenities from his collaboration in 2021 with OPEKEPE.
The knowledge itself states that “this arbitrary motion which led to an incorrect fee to 196,083 beneficiaries and the quantity of the preliminary evaluation was 63,035,249.77 euros, is just not so harmless since it’s associated to the try and pay TINs that had been underneath management for irregularities for the Nationwide Reserve”.
Settlement funds for 2023
Protests, nevertheless, are additionally being expressed over the most recent funds introduced on July 4 by OPEKEPE and concerning the settlement of quantities for 2023.
On the one hand, the funds had been delayed, then again, not one of the farmers are capable of know what they had been paid and the way the cash they obtained was calculated, whereas there are additionally complaints about “reduce” help.
The detailed data on what and the way OPEKEPE pays is absent… The one factor that’s sure is that the fee was undertaken and processed by the technical advisor himself together with his well-known reliability!!!
The president of ETHEAS
The OT addressed the president of the Nationwide Union of Agricultural Cooperatives (ETHEAS), Mr. Pavlos Satolias, asking him to touch upon the complaints concerning the funds: “The primary impression we have now is that the OPEKEPE funds didn’t go nicely and this can be a consequence of the unhealthy operation of the Group”, he notes.
The president of ETHEAS Pavlos Satolias
Help of 13.9 million to a farmer…
Indicative of the inaccurate strategies of fee of the help, is the disclosure made to OT by Mr. Satolias: “There’s a farmer’s VAT quantity within the Peloponnese area to whom just a few days in the past was paid an quantity of 13.9 million euros… That is in all probability a mistake. However these errors of OPEKEPE and the technical advisor who’s unable to maneuver ahead with new applied sciences fear us about the way forward for farmers’ funds.”
The non-existent VAT numbers
Mr. Satolias was additionally charged with the complaints made concerning the “errors” within the funds of July 2023 and based on them the inaccurate calculation hid the try and pay non-existent rural tax identification numbers: “You discuss with 16,000 tax identification numbers, a few of that are wrongfully situated hostage and the quantities needs to be launched. Nonetheless, there are additionally TINs that are paid on the expense of the true farmers. Our place is evident: Not solely that they shouldn’t be paid, however that these circumstances be referred to Justice.”
And Mr. Satolias emphasizes: “The cash should go on to the producer.”
The funds for 2024 are up within the air
Aside from these, nevertheless, the agricultural world can be apprehensive concerning the 2024 funds.
Because the OT had revealed, the platform for submitting declarations to the IACS has not but been opened on the Declaration Reception Facilities. It really works for the net purposes for farmers’ assist within the gov.gr atmosphere, however for the KYD, though it’s precisely the identical know-how, its opening stays blocked…
“An important factor is that we have now entered July and the purposes for the KYD haven’t been opened. Of the 650,000 farmers, solely 2,500 submitted declarations and these are producers who made the purposes themselves”, Mr. Satolias emphasizes to OT and continues: “The longer the opening is delayed, the much less time is left to submit the declarations. Fully unjustified, the platform doesn’t open in KYD. So, provided that the primary help fee needs to be made in October, we’re headed with mathematical precision to the shortcoming to pay. And it’s because when the declarations are submitted, checks and corrections should be made earlier than the help is paid.
The president of ETHEAS underlines: “As farmers, we’re not within the state selecting which technical advisor. Nonetheless, it should apply reliability standards. What credibility is there with such errors that we farmers ourselves need to pay for? We would like an working system like it really works on gov.gr. Statements ought to stay on this atmosphere which is public and clear and never within the arms of a personal particular person…”
SYRIZA
SYRIZA was additionally positioned on the problem of funds and errors of OPEKEPE.
In his announcement he states:
“The general public admission-confession of the Administration of OPEKEPE, for “incorrect fee in July 2023”, because of the “inadvertent use of the road of rights of the yr 2021 as an alternative of the right yr 2022”, proves, as soon as once more, the unbelievable sloppiness and the whole lack of reliability within the fee of EU subsidies, because of the disorganization of the Group’s operation and naturally the whole failure of the ND’s coverage within the main sector.
However, to begin with, it’s unpleasantly shocking the benefit with which the related announcement tries to downplay the “error” in query, which “considerations 196,083 beneficiaries”, i.e. nearly 1/3 of the beneficiaries, in addition to the quantity of the quantity to be recovered (as unduly paid), which, based on the decision-makers, quantities lastly, solely (!), to “€50,755,440.32”.
So this failure, within the legitimate and clear fee of EU subsidies, is just a matter of numbers and never of administrative inadequacy and political failure of the decision-makers?
Likewise, the aforementioned announcement by the OPEKEPE Administration raises plenty of cheap questions:
1. Ought to there be an audit by the European Court docket of Auditors, with what this entails for the seriousness and credibility of our nation, to disclose “horizontal errors within the fee calculation course of” and may these “failures” not be prevented?
2. Does the truth that the audit was carried out by the European Court docket of Auditors and never by the European Fee make it of minor significance, particularly right now when OPEKEPE is underneath supervision?
3. Who can now assure that the funds of the final 5 years are correct and legitimate, culminating within the final yr the place nearly no producer understood how they had been paid?
4. When will the Authorities of the 5 Ministers of Rural Growth & Meals and the 5 Presidents of OPEKEPE lastly take all these vital and rapid actions to revive the operation of the Group, as, moderately, anxiously requested by its workers and absolutely our farmers?
One is the undeniable fact: 5 years of rule by the “Workers State of the Aristocrats of the ND” and the funds of the EU subsidies have changed into a “lottery”, the place the Greek producer now not is aware of the self-evident, till just lately, about whether or not, when and the way a lot will finally be paid. Nonetheless, this morbid actuality can now not be thought of acceptable normality. There ought to lastly be the rapid and sensible assumption of political accountability for all this mess and the whole reversal of this example.
It’s one thing for which SYRIZA-PS will battle with all its would possibly, not out of oppositional obsession or ardour, however as a result of it firmly believes that this battle is inescapably linked to the survival of the wintering rural world of our nation and is an obligation and obligation to him, in opposition to the incompetence, callousness and vanity of the ND”.
PASOK
With a joint announcement of the Agricultural Growth and Meals Sectors PASOK-Motion for Change and MPs Manolis Chnari – Christina Starakas, Heads of Okay.T.E. of Rural Growth, the next are talked about:
“There isn’t a finish to the errors, omissions, extra-institutional interventions and irregularities which might be continually revealed within the supervised group of the Ministry of Rural Growth and Meals OPEKEPE.
It was just lately revealed and confirmed by the present short-term however finally prolonged administration of OPEKEPE, that within the context of the audit of the European Court docket of Auditors, a unsuitable fee occurred in July 2023 which considerations 196,083 producers and corresponds to how a lot 50,755,440, 32 euros.
This cash based on OPEKEPE needs to be deducted from the farmers as unduly paid quantities and a few needs to be offset with future funds.
In any case, for causes of transparency and credibility of the group, we anticipate the small print of single help funds for the primary yr of implementation of the CAP Strategic Plan to be made public.”
SOURCE: ot.gr
#Help #funds #farmers #air
