‘I had the honour of serving at the ministry from 5 January 2021 to 8 February 2022. During that time, we exposed the subsidy glut within OPEKEPE. We sought to balance the denial and dysfunction in the inspection regime and to correct practices that harmed producers. Strict but fair inspections were carried out. I was personally insulted, threatened, and ultimately removed,’ he said.

Livanos described identifying a ‘serious problem’ in the allocation of pastureland in Crete. ‘I worked closely with the presidents of the organisation, Theofanis Pappas and Dimitris Melas. I called for a multiplication of inspection samples and for pockets of corruption to be isolated. Coming from Aetolia-Acarnania, I understand the hardship of honest farmers,’ he said.

He pointed to a pattern of ‘chronic irresponsibility’ in the distribution of resources, revealing that the number of animals declared in Crete had skyrocketed by more than 700 per cent — from 178,000 to 1,441,000 — at a time when livestock numbers were declining across Greece. The number of lambs and goats declared also rose by 539 per cent.

‘The fraud through false declarations was blatant,’ he said. ‘I demanded that OPEKEPE directors impose strict rules and measures to prevent manipulation. We issued three ministerial decisions, including one prohibiting the leasing of public land as pasture. The national reserve was reduced by one-third, and our interventions secured €70 million in genuine funds.’

Livanos said that the backlash from those affected was immediate and aggressive. ‘I faced insults and threats — even against my children — and there were two bounties placed on me. There were two major protests: one in Crete and one in Athens, organised by so-called “farmers” whose numbers could be counted on one hand. When they sought public support, no one came forward. Many of those involved are the very people your committee is discussing today,’ he told MPs.

He added that a funeral notice bearing his name had been circulated, demanding his resignation. ‘The argument was that I supposedly favoured Aetolians and attacked Cretans. Not all Cretans are the same — the opportunists are a minority. Many on the island are serious producers and exporters who feed their families through their own labour,’ he said.

The former minister defended the reforms he introduced to ‘reorganise OPEKEPE’ and ensure transparency. ‘Our goal was to change the political model and mentality of the sector. We achieved this without any delay or risk to the 2021 payments,’ he said.

Among the six reform measures he listed were the completion of forest grazing plans, the effort to transform OPEKEPE into an independent authority, the use of the OpenGov platform for IACS applications, open tenders for technical advisers, and ministerial decisions addressing the surge in animal declarations and demands on public land.

Livanos cited the results of inspections as evidence of success:
‘In 2021, 57,897 on-site and 35,312 remote administrative audits were conducted across 234,261 agricultural parcels, recovering €34.4 million — far higher than in previous years. This sent a clear message that the long-standing irresponsibility in distributing EU agricultural funds would end, and that both auditors and recipients would adapt to a new model of accountability.’

He concluded that the network of three ministerial decisions ‘truly changed the framework’ and saved roughly €35 million. Despite the hostility he faced, Livanos said that neither he nor his ministry backed down.

‘In my effort to tackle subsidy abuse and reform OPEKEPE, I was insulted, threatened — my family included — bullied, and finally voted out. But the policy itself remained unaffected.’

______________________________________________

Are you seeking news from Greece presented from a progressive, non-mainstream perspective? Subscribe monthly or annually to support TPP International in delivering independent reporting in English. Don’t let Greek progressive voices fade.

Make sure to reference “TPP International” and your order number as the reason for payment.