A scandal over the misuse of EU subsidies has triggered ministerial resignations in Greece. Beneficiaries allegedly made claims for land and livestock they did not own, waved through by lawmakers seeking votes.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BdOdThese sheep and goats on Samothraki island are real, but many in Greece appear to exist only on paperImage: Iliana Mier/AP Photo/picture allianceAdvertisementGreek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis replaced several officials on Friday after multiple resignations tied to a widening farm payment scandal.
Investigators allege that lawmakers tried to illegally channel subsidies from the European Union to benefit their voter base.
Agriculture Minister Kostas Tsiaras and Civil Protection Minister Yiannis Kefalogiannis both stood down, as well as Deputy Health Minister Dimitris Vartzopoulos. All three denied wrongdoing and said their resignations were intended to smooth the path of the investigation.
Their replacements included the appointment of Margaritis Schinas, a former European Commission vice president, as Greece's new agriculture minister.
Opposition parties have rejected the reshuffle and renewed calls for early elections, warning the crisis could undermine political stability ahead of a scheduled election next year.
Mitsotakis, who was not in power when the fraud began, has vowed to imprison the "thieves" responsible and to reclaim money from those who benefited.
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The case has been complicated by Greece's legal framework, under which ministers can only be prosecuted if parliament lifts their immunity — a process often blocked by governing majorities.
It is the second wave of resignations connected with the scandal after five senior officials stepped down last year.
Investigators have cited alleged offenses including breach of trust, computer fraud, and false declarations to obtain unlawful benefits.
A probe by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) has now expanded to at least 20 members of the ruling New Democracy party, including current and former lawmakers.
The EPPO first released details of the scam last May. It accused subsidy beneficiaries of making claims for land that did not belong to them and of exaggerating livestock numbers.
Authorities say the scheme may have involved €23 million (about $26.5 million) in fraudulent payments since about 2018. Among the schemes that have drawn suspicion are banana plantations on Mount Olympus, olive trees in a military airport and pastures on an archeological site.
Most of the fraudulent subsidies were siphoned off to the island of Crete, where the family of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has held political sway for more than a century. Official figures show that roughly 80% of subsidies for pastures granted from 2017 to 2020 went to Crete. While the number of livestock farmers in Greece is waning, Crete saw some 13,000 new farmers registered between 2019 and 2025. The tally of declared sheep and goats doubled in the same time frame.
Past investigations and police actions have already led to arrests and fines tied to subsidy mismanagement.
