North Macedonia to reopen IPARD 3 agricultural fund applications in December

The Payment Agency of North Macedonia has announced that new calls for the IPARD 3 program will open in December. Director Daniela Irotova-Lazareva stated that applications will be available for measures 1, 3, and 7, allowing farmers and processing companies to begin preparing documentation.

The program had been under scrutiny for nearly a year following a major corruption scandal involving the former director of the Payment Agency, Ilija Stoilev. The scandal, which involved allegations of bribery exceeding 50,000 euros, led to the suspension of European funds for Macedonian farmers last December. To prevent future misuse of funds, the Payment Agency has implemented changes to application procedures, which are currently awaiting final approval from the National Coordinator of the IPARD Program at the Ministry of Finance.

For the 2021-2027 period, the total European aid for Macedonian farmers amounts to 128 million euros, consisting of 97 million euros in EU funds and 31 million euros in national co-financing. The agency aims to pay out all outstanding subsidies by the end of this year.