Protest by Ms. Antonelli about the Improvement Plans: “The Northern Aegean is not among the Government’s priorities”

Press Release of the North Aegean Region / Anti-region of the Primary Sector on the subject: “A) Protest – Request of the Deputy Regional Governor of the Primary Sector of the North Aegean Region, Anastasia Antonellis, to the Minister of Rural Development and Food Mr. Avgenakis Lefteris for the increase in the funding of the Improvement Plans budget for the islands of the North Aegean. B) Submission of proposals for the new calls for Improvement Plans. “

More specifically:

“Dear Minister,

After the new allocation of funding for the Improvement Plans, we note with regret and indignation that once again the islands of the Northern Aegean are not among the Government’s priorities! How else can we explain that in the new monetary allocation for our islands there is an increase of the previous funding by 38.83% at the same time that for Crete there is an increase of 104.51%, for Central Greece an increase of 94.37%, for Epirus increase of 91.37% etc. etc And all this when 412 Improvement Plans have been submitted to us, of which, with the new allocation, they will finally be financed based on our calculations of around 240 Improvement Plans! (143 from the initial allocation and about 95-100 more after the increase in the budget and the allocation of the amount for the objections) That is, 59% of the applicants will be funded in the end!!

Dear Minister, what will we say to the remaining 187? Change profession or change place of residence???? Maybe you should finally understand that the people of the Primary Sector who stay and insist on dealing with it are also doing National work???? We are in an area on the borders of our country and the European Union, whose national identity is sometimes contested by our neighbors to the East. Therefore, instead of the Government realizing that there are reasons of National Expediency beyond the economic necessity of the survival of the agricultural economy of our islands and giving additional incentives and resources for the settlement of new people, from other parts of Greece and Europe, to deal with the primary sector, it also expels those already employed in it????

Honorable Minister, we request:

The increase in the funding of the Improvement Plans budget for the islands of the North Aegean, even now!

For the new calls for Improvement Plans we ask:

A) The Ministry should make a separate allocation of funding per PE, so that the existence of large crops in one PE does not operate at the expense of other PEs (a typical example of the last invitation is Samos where out of the 71 proposals approved only the 3!!)

B) There should be the possibility of financing in separate sectors of the main cultivation of the islands and alternative crops, since with the existing single allocation regime only the main cultivation of each island is favored, thus excluding the development of new crops and the settlement of new people on our islands who want to engage in alternative crops.

We look forward to your actions,

With price,

On behalf of the Regional Authority

the competent Deputy Governor
Primary Sector

Anastasia Antonelli