- The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has summoned farmers, representatives of cooperative organisations, officials from OPEKEPE and the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, and representatives of certification bodies.
- A total budget of €425.623 million has been allocated to the eco-schemes for 2023.
- Avgenakis’s “manoeuvre” involved channelling additional support to grazing lands in Crete.
- Tsiaras intervened on behalf of producers in Thessaly.
by Vangelis Triantis
Data Journalists have published new evidence relating to subsidies granted to agricultural producers through OPEKEPE under the so-called eco-schemes from 2023 onwards. These subsidies are currently under investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. This evidence relates to two decisions made by the former Ministers of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis and Kostas Tsiaras, during the 2024–2025 period. Through these decisions, the ministers effectively intervened in the allocation of the eco-schemes budget, redirecting funds towards measures that favoured the payment of subsidies in their electoral constituencies. In other words, it is alleged that EU funds were used to benefit their political supporters rather than being allocated to farmers who implemented environmentally friendly agricultural practices — the very purpose and guiding principle of the eco-schemes programme.
It should be noted that the Declaration Submission Centres (KYDs) played a pivotal role in the disbursement of subsidies within the eco-schemes programme. Notably, subsidies are alleged to have been granted on the basis of certifications issued by KYDs for production activities unrelated to the requirements set out in EU eco-schemes legislation. KYDs reportedly received fees ranging from 8% to 10% for preparing and submitting applications, so ultimately, an amount approaching €40 million went to the KYDs responsible. However, let us start from the beginning.
The initial budget for the eco-schemes
Eco-schemes were implemented for the first time in 2023. These annual programmes form part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period from 2023 to 2027. They replaced the “greening” scheme, which was previously distributed to all producers as a percentage of the basic payment. The total budget for the eco-schemes amounted to €425.623 million.
Greece opted for a highly complex structure consisting of ten eco-schemes and multiple sub-measures, amounting to a total of thirty-one programmes. One of the supported measures, for example, is the “continuation of the application of organic farming and livestock farming methods”. This subsidy is aimed at producers who have fields, pastures or livestock holdings enrolled in the organic farming system.
Another eco-scheme concerns the “maintenance and protection of crops on terraced land”. These terraces are found in areas with permanent and arable crops, and they provide a habitat for wild flora and fauna. Essentially, producers are subsidised to maintain traditional dry-stone terraces. Within the eco-schemes, for instance, small-scale repairs are funded, alongside restrictions such as prohibiting the use of herbicides and removing shrubs.
The table below presents the initial budget for each eco-scheme:
Almost half of the funds were allocated to Eco-Scheme 9 (“Maintenance of organic farming and livestock farming methods”), totalling €235,016 million. It is striking that organic farming was included in the programme, even though it was a one-year scheme, given that eco-schemes require multi-year commitments from producers.
Avgenakis’s intervention in 2024
In April 2024, the political leadership of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food — Lefteris Avgenakis and Dionysis Stamenitis — proceeded with an amendment to Ministerial Decision No. 1545/179036/09.06.2023. This decision established the regulatory framework for the implementation of Intervention P1-31.9: “Maintenance of organic farming and livestock farming methods”.
This decision reduced the budget for Eco-Scheme 9 (“Maintenance of organic farming and livestock farming methods”) from €235 million to €162 million. The budget for Eco-Scheme 7 (“Environmental Management of Livestock Systems”) was also reduced, from €21 million to €13 million.
The additional funds resulting from the budget reductions were transferred to two other eco-schemes. One of these was Eco-Scheme No. 5, which concerns the “Improvement of agroforestry ecosystems rich in landscape features”. Essentially, this scheme relates to grazing lands, as it benefits farmers who own parcels with agroforestry systems or partially wooded areas, such as pastures with tree cover of up to 40% and an understorey of herbaceous or woody vegetation.
According to Data Journalists, funds from Eco-Scheme 5 were distributed to producers who received subsidies through the “technical solution”, whereby eligible pastureland was allocated. The majority of beneficiaries of this programme were located in Crete due to the large number of livestock declared there. It should be noted that the central pillar of the OPEKEPE scandal is fraud involving fictitious declarations of pastureland, and the Hellenic Police have so far dismantled six criminal organisations with illicit gains amounting to tens of millions of euros. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is therefore investigating why EU funds intended for eco-schemes ended up in pastureland, allegedly being distributed unlawfully to livestock farmers who did not meet the eligibility requirements.
Another eco-scheme alleged to have been “favoured” during Avgenakis’s tenure as minister was Eco-Scheme 6 (Support for producers to implement environmentally friendly management practices using a digital input management and environmental parameter monitoring application). This so-called “digital tool” involves the EU subsidising producers to use a digital application for input management and environmental data monitoring, and to prepare, monitor and adjust a management plan with the help of a consultant. However, according to sources in the farming sector, the much-discussed digital tool was not actually used for digital agriculture. Specifically, according to these sources, the tool was reportedly limited to document collection by the KYDs, rather than being used for actions aimed at digitally transforming agriculture.
Read Mr Avgenakis’s decision in detail
KYDs and the €40 million
In a previous report, Data Journalists had also highlighted the role of KYDs in the eco-schemes case. Specifically, KYDs became the entities guiding producers through the complex bureaucracy of the eco-schemes. Consequently, a significant proportion of the support was channelled to KYDs, who then charged excessive fees to complete the eco-scheme applications. Consequently, subsidies are alleged to have been granted on the basis of certifications issued by KYDs for production activities unrelated to the requirements set out in EU eco-scheme legislation. Given that KYDs’ remuneration ranged from 8% to 10%, an amount approaching €40 million ultimately ended up with the KYDs that had undertaken the submission of applications. This issue is reported to have been brought to the attention of the political leadership of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food several occasions without any result.
Tsiaras’ intervention in 2025
In March 2025, Kostas Tsiaras, the then political leader of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, once again intervened in the eco-schemes budget. Specifically, Ministerial Decision No. 83922/28.3.2025 defines the “percentage reduction in the level of aid based on the requested and revised budget per intervention following the transfer of resources and the absence of unallocated funds in cases of excess demand in accordance with OPEKEPE’s relevant document for the 2024 aid year”.
The details of these interventions are set out in the table included in the ministerial decision.
The decision resulted in a significant increase in the budget for Eco-Scheme 1 (P1-31.1 “Use of resilient and adapted species and varieties”), which rose from an initial €42.3 million to €77 million. This measure essentially benefits producers in the wider Thessaly region who cultivate extensive crops such as wheat and barley (arable farming).
Additionally, the same decision substantially increased the budget for Eco-Scheme 6, also known as the “digital tool”. Specifically, it rose from €49.154 million to €134 million.
In other words, through a political decision, the Ministry of Rural Development and Food has directed subsidies towards an eco-scheme for the second time that, in practice, has not delivered the intended outcomes for which EU funds were allocated.
Read Mr Tsiaras’s decision in detail
Witnesses being examined by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office
According to Data Journalists, dozens of individuals have recently been summoned to testify as witnesses before the office. These include farmers, representatives of cooperative organisations, OPEKEPE and Ministry of Rural Development and Food officials, and certification body representatives, among others.
Prosecutors are reportedly investigating whether EU funds intended for producers implementing environmentally friendly farming practices were unlawfully directed towards those with no connection to the eco-schemes. These eco-schemes are regarded as one of OPEKEPE’s most serious components and are under scrutiny by European prosecutors through multiple ongoing case files.
