(Adnkronos) – The scandal over the misappropriation of European agricultural subsidies has led to multiple resignations at the highest political levels in Greece. The Minister of Civil Protection and Agriculture, as well as an Undersecretary at the Ministry of Health, resigned today and have been replaced. At risk – according to local analysts – is the political stability of the country, where almost all opposition parties are calling for the government’s resignation and early elections.
The resignations follow investigations by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), which had requested the lifting of parliamentary immunity for ministers and numerous parliamentarians. All parliamentarians and officials under investigation belong to the ruling conservative party, New Democracy (ND), led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The politicians in question are accused of attempting to obtain illegal subsidies.
In Greece, conservatives have been in power since 2019. In recent months, authorities have investigated hundreds of farmers who, together with staff from the now-defunct agricultural body Opekepe, allegedly fraudulently obtained millions of euros in subsidies. The charges range from misappropriation and computer fraud to document forgery. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to judgment crimes affecting the financial interests of the European Union.
