Emily Ratajkowski titties over Greece’s PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis decision to Dissolve OPEKEPE amid scandal… Scandalized Agency Handling EU Funds Had to End

Emily Ratajkowski: Another day, another scandal in EU. No wonder Trump slammed them with 50% tariffs… sigh

Mitsotakis explains decision to dissolve OPEKEPE amid scandal

Mitsotakis Says Scandalized Agency Handling EU Funds Had to End

PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis

ATHENS – Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the state agency OPEKEPE handling European Union agricultural subsidies that is being investigated for alleged fraud had to be dissolved and its responsibilities given to tax officials.

In his weekly social media post, he said that, “The dissolution of OPEKEPE and the integration of its responsibilities and personnel into the AADE (tax agency.) The goal is to establish a unified, transparent, and efficient system for managing agricultural payments and subsidies.”

He acknowledged that the existing system had become plagued by inefficiency and misuse.

“The current system has allowed poor practices, delays, and abuses to flourish, issues that reflect poorly on everyone involved. We must acknowledge that despite our efforts, these dysfunctions were not addressed effectively,” he said.

He added that the full integration of OPEKEPE into AADE will be completed by the second half of 2026, with EU subsidies to farmers not interrupted during this transition although the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is adding charges against 16 people, including 13 public officials.

He said the government is working with EPPO to help investigate cases of fraudulent claims involving EU agricultural funds. “We owe it to the hardworking farmers who operate with integrity. We owe it to the country,” Mitsotakis said.

On May 19, prosecutors from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), accompanied by 20 officers from the Hellenic Police’s anti-corruption unit, raided OPEKEPE’s headquarters. Authorities said they uncovered an extensive scheme involving fictitious pastureland claims used to illegally obtain EU funds.

The then-President of the agency, Nikos Salatas, was dismissed but he has blamed two former New Democracy agriculture ministers – Lefteris Avgenakis and Giorgos Georganas – for the organization’s collapse during the ongoing investigation amid a European investigation into fraudulent farm payments.

“There were problems in 2015, 2018 and 2020. The biggest problem in the organization was in 2022 and 2023. That’s where the organization was destroyed. Everyone knows it. All farmers know it. There’s a big story there. Big things happened, the information system crashed and schemes were made,” Salatas told Kontra Channel television.

The years 2022-2023 coincided with Avgenakis and Georgantas serving as agriculture ministers. Salatas also criticized five former OPEKEPE presidents, saying they should speak openly about political pressures they faced.

Regarding his dismissal, Salatas said: “I spoke with the minister and we have an excellent relationship. The minister couldn’t do otherwise, there were orders from above.” He opposed transferring OPEKEPE to the tax authority, saying he wanted the agency to become an independent authority.

UPDATE: Greece hit with €670M EU bill in one of the biggest subsidy scandals