With a Question and Request for Documents (ACP) that we submitted today and signed by 14 MPs of SYRIZA - Progressive Alliance, we ask to clarify the complaints of Kythera producers for the major failures and problems that emerged this year in their fields, following the partial, mandatory by Community regulations, renewal of the OPEKEPE's cartographic background, part of which also concerned areas of Kythera.
It is obvious that if any failures are a result of the above obligation of the state to renew the background, it is also the responsibility of the state to have acted in a timely, targeted and effective manner to correct all parameters that may jeopardize the smooth and fair payment of Pillar I and II CAP subsidies to the producers of Kythera.
The «movements» of parcels of land were a frequent phenomenon of the sinful past and one would have expected that OPEKEPE would have taken care to organise procedures and safeguards to ensure that these phenomena are prevented and corrected as they occur, especially when these movements are the result of actions by the administration. The fact that producers are once again in the position of having to prove to themselves that they are ’not elephants« can only signal a setback in the proper distribution of subsidies.
Below is the full text of the Question -ACC:
Athens, 18 January 2021
QUESTION and Request for the Deposit of Documents (ACP)
To the Minister of Rural Development and Food
Subject: «Renewal of the OPEKEPE Cartographic Background in Kythira and Payment of Aid»
In accordance with the obligations arising from the Community regulations, in January 2020, a partial update of the OPEKEPE's cartographic background was carried out, part of which concerned also areas of Kythera. This renewal may result in ‘the revision of the boundaries of reference parcels, or the coverage code, the creation of non-eligible parts or even entire parcels. According to a letter of 7/10/2020 from the Agricultural Cooperative of Potamos, producers of Kythera complain because the renewal created a very serious problem in their parcels that suddenly became ineligible while for many years they were eligible for inclusion in PAA programmes and for Pillar I aid.
For example, those enrolled in the Organic Farming Measure (M11) whose parcels in the 2020 declaration are exactly the same as in the 2018 (the application for enrolment) and 2019 (i.e. the first year of application) declarations will suffer reductions and penalties if the geospatially determined area from the cross-check of the 2020 EAA gives ineligible areas for these parcels.
As a result, we have lost aid and the creation of multiple problems in the control and settlement of the relevant payments since these parcels have been included in programs that are very important for the development of Kythera (Organic Agriculture, Improvement Plans, Young Farmers, etc.).All these dysfunctions and the problems that have been created are described in a joint letter of protest by the Agricultural Cooperatives of Potamos and Livadi and the Union of Organic Farmers of Kythera.
Because the updating of the cartographic background is the responsibility of the State, not of the citizen, who must ensure the smooth and fair payment of subsidies,
Because the citizen-producer has not moved or in any way affected the eligibility of his parcels,
Because the deadline for submitting eligibility objections according to the circular of OPEKEPE No. 49825/07-08-2020 (ADA: ΨANΨ46ΨΧΞΧ-ETΣ) to be (for producers or the CSAs) 31/10/2020 but the producers claim that it was not possible to modify the coordinates of their parcels of land that have been confirmed by engineers with official topographic charts or sketches and with which they have been attributed for years any kind of subsidy aids subsidies
Because the inability to modify from the side of the producers or the CRAs the coordinates of the parcels that have emerged with problems due to the renewal of the cartographic background by OPEKEPE, also includes the previous inclusion of these areas in other programs than direct payments, creating serious problems in their smooth continuation, and a number of reductions / cancellations or even exclusions
Because especially in the past year and in the new one, rural development is critical to overcome the effects of the pandemic and the various bottlenecks created by the renewal of the cartographic background by OPEKEPE are a source of serious disruption for Kythera and loss of income critical to the viability of the island's producers
Because there is an obligation on the State to take all necessary steps to prevent any failures arising from its own actions, especially when the consequences of such failures are serious in terms of sustainability in the face of an unprecedented pandemic
Please provide us with the following information:
- Please submit relevant documents as to the partial renewal of the OPEKEPE's cartographic background in areas of Kythera and its individual results in the revision of the boundaries of the reference parcels, or the cover code, and the creation of ineligible parts or even entire parcels.
- Please submit the relevant documents regarding any additional actions of the state in addition to the general circular no. 49825/07-08-2020 of OPEKEPE for the timely and specific information to the producers and the KYTHERONIA CROs.
The Minister is asked:
- Do you consider that, on the basis of the relevant documents submitted, the reported high failure rate as a result of the renewal of the cartographic background in the area of Kythera is confirmed?;
- There has been timely and specific information to producers and CRAs on the renewal of the cartographic background from OPEKEPE in areas of Kythera or do you consider that the treatment of Kythera was adequatewith the circular of OPEKEPE No 49825/07-08-2020 (IDA: ΨANΨ46ΨΧΞΧ-ETΣ) which is valid for the whole country;
- Was there or was there not the possibility for producers unilaterally modify the coordinates of their parcels of land confirmed by the engineers and on the basis of which, for a number of years, aid/subsidies were attributed to them, or time and instructions or special assistance from OPEKEPE should have been given for the renewal of the parcels of land on the basis of the new cartographic background;
- Do you intend to address and what actions will you take in order - even afterwards - to address in a coordinated and holistic way the serious problems created and continues to create by the renewal of the cartographic background from OPEKEPE for years granted subsidies from the Rural Development Programme and the Pillar I aid in Kythera;
The questioning Members of Parliament
Arachovitis Stavros
Dritsas Theodoros
Alexiadis Tryfon
Vardakis Socrates
Higoumenidis Nikolaos
Kasimatis Nina
Markos Konstantinos
Meikopoulos Alexandros
Moraitis Athanasios (Thanos)
Ekaterini Notopoulou
Poulou Panagiou (Giota)
Ragousis Ioannis
Sarakiotis Ioannis
