In three points the ’causes of evil’ are identified for the problems faced by OPECEPEas the Minister of Rural Development and Food typically said Costas Tsiarasduring informal information by accredited journalists.
“The payment agency had no information system, it had no pasture maps, which was an obligation of our country, and operated under -staffing for many years and could not do the controls it really needed,” Mr Tsiaras noted.
He added that next week, the YPATA would sign a contract with the Information Society for the implementation of the country’s grazing plans. Regarding the money already given to the regions to “run” and reaching 25-30 million euros, he noted that they would be returned to the ministry. “There is a great effort to unite all this story for the good of the rural world and our country,” he said.
At the same time, the Minister of Rural Development and Food emphasized that there would be a legislative development in July, where OPEKEPE would be determined, which would determine its transition to AADE. However, the procedures are expected to participate in the technical consultants company, which will probably come from the “Big Four” (Deloitte, PwC, KPMG and EY).
“The logic of integration is to do with a final consultant,” he said, adding that “the biggest bet is for OPECEPE to operate properly and pay normally.”
Regarding the personnel of the Payment Agency, he said that as a whole he would be transferred to AADE and employees will have higher wage earnings.
He made it clear that the new structure of OPEKEPE will take place in the form of the 4th Directorate, having his own deputy commander who will “run” issues of the Organization, based on his own information systems and applications. Something that, he added, applies to all AADE procedures.
Although according to what has been announced to date, OPEKEPE’s full transfer to AADE is to be completed by the second half of 2026, Mr Tsiaras estimated that the whole process would be completed within the first six months of the following year.
Concerning the technical solution, the Minister of Rural Development and Food, stressed that he is working this year not to be applied to the islands during this year’s IACS. “We are trying to process a solution so that farmers and farmers do not lose money this year,” he said.
Mr Tsiaras was in favor of the expansion of the audits by the European Prosecutors before and after the existing period, as current investigations are in the 2019-2022 period.
Finally, he noted that the Action Plan for OPEKEPE, launched last September, includes 45 points including the completion of the grazing plans, the staffing and the digitization of the organization.
However, according to Mr Tsiaras, the EU is expected in our country in July. to examine the course of implementation of the Action Plan made to ensure the certification of the organization. Finally, he noted that he is in the process of promoting a second action plan to ensure the uninterrupted continuity in the payments of the agricultural world.
Source: RES-EIA