Croatia to be Required to Return EUR 400 Million in Incentives to European Union for Non-purpose Spending

Croatia will most probably have to return 3 billion kunas (EUR 396.8 million) in incentives provided by the EU, as the union's controllers have determined that only 2% of those funds, paid for ecological agriculture, are being spent for the intended purpose, Vecernji List writes.

– In Croatia, we have failed with all the agricultural policies. We are producing food below 45% of our needs and then we wonder why the villages are empty and why young people are moving out. With the way laws are adopted and enforced, it's now wonder that this is happening – said the owner of the Agro-Palm farm and the vice president of the Croatian Agricultural Chamber, Antun Vrakic.

He pointed out that various resellers had already appeared, damaging the farmers, and warned of the wrong direction of the Croatian agrarian policy, which he says is run by interest groups.

– Incentives are given for farms where nothing is produced. The control body from Brussels has determined that only 2% of the incentives paid for ecological agriculture is justified. Now they require three years' worth of money to be returned, a billion kunas per year. The proposition is for everyone to contribute to the repayment, but that's out of the question – Vrakic says.

He adds that, at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, the Agricultural Chamber requested the Ministry of Agriculture to make a list of stocked goods in order to see where the production needs to be increased, but that there has been no response.

– There used to be people profiting from war, now there will be people profiting from coronavirus – Vrakic says, as reported by the Zagreb-based daily.

Croatian Agricultural Chamber

Ministry of Agriculture of Croatia

Agro palm

Antun Vrakić

EU incentives

ecological agriculture