P. Paraskevaidis: Unfair for the Northern Aegean, distribution of the 2nd budget increase of the Farmers Improvement Plans

The Member of Parliament of PASOK – KINAL, Panagiotis Paraskevaidis, with a Question he Submitted in the Parliament, today, to the Minister of Rural Development, strongly complains about the small Increase in the budget, for the IMPROVEMENT PLANS of the Farmers of the Northern Aegean, which leaves out of the program the 40 % of Applications.

It demands the Immediate removal of the injustice, with a new Decision to Increase the Budget, which will ensure the implementation of all the demands of the Farmers of Lesvos, Limnos and Agios Efstrati.

Question

AND

A.K.E.

To:

1. Minister of Rural Development and Food, Mr. Lefteris Avgenakis

Subject: Unfair for the Northern Aegean, distribution of the 2nd budget increase of the Farmers’ Improvement Plans

Mr. Minister,

Your recent Decision on the 2nd increase in the budget of the Farmers Improvement Plans program of the new programming period, which increases by 100 million euros the total budget reaches 304,940,310 euros, an amount that covers 75.6% of the Requested Public Expenditure.

Of the above increase, unfortunately, only 3.8%!!!!, i.e. 3.8 million euros, was allocated to the Northern Aegean (of immigration pressure), raising the total budget from 9,940,000 euros to 13,800,000 euros.

If we exclude Attica, which is not primarily an Agricultural Region, the next Regions with the smallest increase are those of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, and the Northern Aegean.

Consequently, this distribution is very unfair and does not deserve us, nor is it consistent with the insularity clause of the Greek Constitution (Article 101 par. 4), nor does it cover the total of the requested public expenditure for the Northern Aegean and if it is not amended with an increase, your present unfair decision, approx 40% of Support Applications for Improvement Plans will be Rejected.

412 Improvement Plans have been submitted for the new period in the North Aegean.

Based on the public expenditure before the 2nd increase and the relative base score of 81.47%, only 143 Projects were included in the program (e.g. in Lemnos out of 41 requests, 14 were included, in Samos and Ikaria out of 77 Plans joined 3, in Lesvos 73 and in Chios 53).

With the increase of 3,860,000 euros, another 100 Plans will be included and we will reach 243 out of a total of 412, i.e. only 60%.

The decision unfortunately does not serve the imposed convergence of the economic and social indicators between the Regions of Greece, towards the average of the Regions of Europe, in violation of the EU Convergence guidelines, since the two of the poorest regions, namely of the Northern Aegean and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, have the smallest increases, 38.83% and 21.31%, respectively.

On the contrary, the 2nd richest Region of the country, that of the South Aegean, receives an increase of 92.59% and the Region of Crete, an increase of 104.5%!!!!!!

That is, in simple words, the Farmers of the above regions are effectively punished.

Here, I must convey to you that the Farmers of Lemnos feel deeply wronged by the implementation of the previous corresponding program and it is not possible for them to be wronged with the new program as well, due to the low funding on your part.

I am obliged, however, to point out to you, Mr. Minister, that with such Decisions and Policies, the Agricultural population in the countryside of Greece, which is desolating and threatening the survival of the country, is not restrained, nor are the nationally sensitive areas, such as the North, really supported Aegean and Thrace, which are the target of Turkish Revisionism and Expansionism.

IN THE NORTH AEGEAN YOU HAVE TO GIVE FROM WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE.

We therefore demand the issuance of your latest decision, which will remove the injustice, will bring about a brave increase in the public expenditure budget for the Northern Aegean and will ensure the inclusion in the new program of Strengthening Improvement Plans of all the Requests of the Farmers of Lesbos, Limnos and of Agios Efstratiou.

Following the above, Mr. Minister

ASKED

1. Will he take the initiative and when to increase the budget of the North Aegean Region Improvement Plans program, so as to remove the injustice and demonstrate in practice the government’s interest in the farmers of the North Aegean?
2. What is the number of Requests for Support of Farm Improvement Plans and their total budget, per Regional Unit, of the North Aegean Region?
3. What is the public expenditure budget per Regional Unit of the North Aegean Region, for the Agricultural Improvement Plans of the new programming period?
4. Finally, please grant me the detailed accounting data per Regional Unit of the North Aegean Region of the Farmers’ Improvement Plans program, of the previous programming period 2014-2020.

Mytilini, 25/4/2024

The Questioning Member of Parliament

FRIDAY PANAGIOTIS