The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met at the Maximos Palace with the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, who is visiting Greece as part of his tour of the EU member states. During the meeting, issues of Mr. Hansen’s portfolio were discussed with an emphasis on the reform of the agricultural support system, focusing on the transfer of OPEKEPE to AADE, and in the new Common Agricultural Policy.
The Deputy Prime Minister also participated in the meeting Kostis Hatzidakis and the 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 (unofficial translation from English):
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Commissioner, I am glad you are here. I understand that you have already had very productive discussions with the Vice President and Minister Mr. Tsiaras. You are, of course, coming at a time when the number one issue on the agenda concerns the reform of the Organization for Payments and Control of Community Aid Guidance and Guarantees (OPEKEPE). We made a very difficult, but I believe necessary, decision to transfer virtually all OPEKEPE responsibilities to AADE. It’s a complicated transition process, but I think it’s going well.
We have submitted our plan to your services, demonstrating our commitment to transparency and to finally addressing all the problems we inherited from the past. I know that this is not only a Greek problem, but a problem faced by many other countries as well. However, we know, and I take full responsibility for sorting out our internal affairs, and I want to let you know that there is a commitment at the highest level of government to resolve all the problems of the past. The transition is difficult because we have to make the payments. At the same time, we need to make sure that our actions are in line with the European legislative framework. However, I want you to be absolutely sure that we regard this reform as one of the most important that we are implementing and that we remain fully committed to ensuring that the new system is effective and fully transparent. For me, this is a prerequisite for the flourishing of our agricultural sector, which in recent years has taken a positive course, but it can achieve much more.
Christophe Hansen: Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister, for the reception. It is the second day of my visit to Greece. I must say that I did not come here for the reason you just mentioned, but because I promised at the beginning of my term to visit all the Member States in the first year, because I think it is very important to learn about the diversity of agriculture and food production in the European Union, as this is the wealth and strength of our agriculture. I was recently in Brazil with a delegation of 80 European agri-food producers, including seven companies from Greece active in the dairy sectors, of olive oil, wine and spirits. Your cultural heritage, which is your high-quality food, is also something that we, as Europeans, can be very proud of.
Of course, I am also here because we are discussing the future of the Common Agricultural Policy, the next Multiannual Financial Framework. It has a new structure, however I believe we need to better target subsidies to our farmers, to those most in need. To me, these are the new farmers. We face a huge challenge with the renewal of the rural population. We also face a huge challenge with farmers who produce in areas with natural constraints. I want the money to go mainly to those who are most in need, to young farmers, in difficult areas. I think this is something we need to work on together over the next couple of years.
Also, with regard to the proposal for the Common Agricultural Policy and the proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework, I think we need to discuss how the money can be better used, but I think there are sufficient resources available. What is also very important to me is that the money goes to the real farmers, to those who contribute actively in our food security and sovereignty, and that is what is on the table. Of course, it was also an opportunity to discuss the problems of the situation of OPEKEPE, where we know that many issues have accumulated over the last decades and which we need to correct. I would like to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for making it a very high priority to correct these deficiencies and that we are now looking together at how we can resolve this issue.
We have also received your action plan and I think it is very positive that it has come at the right time. However, I would like to add that this is not a sprint, but a marathon – you have the marathon here in Athens on Sunday. I believe we are already on the right track. The “athlete” is in good form and now we have to continue the good work we have done together during the last weeks and months in order to ensure that Greek farmers they will receive the support they deserve under EU rules. We are working closely on this matter and this cooperation will continue in the coming months.