EU audits reveal serious flaws in Greek agricultural subsidy controls

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) has identified serious deficiencies in Greece’s management and control of agricultural subsidies. An audit report dated September 14, 2026, highlights significant gaps in subsidy inspections, organic certification oversight, and the verification of land and animal eligibility.

According to the findings, ELGO-DEMETER conducted only 62 of the 175 planned supervisory inspections in 2025. The report also notes failures in verifying the compliance of certification bodies, including instances where a body continued to issue certificates despite its duties being suspended. These systemic weaknesses have led the European Commission to consider excluding certain expenditures from EU funding and demanding corrective measures.

In response to the findings, the agricultural union POGEDY has expressed concern regarding the transparency of the process. They have questioned the use of “informal updates” or non-papers by the Commission, arguing that such communications should not substitute for official administrative documents and that the full content of official audit letters must be the basis for evaluation.