In Albania, the Delegation of the European Union told the Voice of America that the European Commission has put on hold the start of the implementation of the IPARD III Program in support of Albanian agriculture. The decision follows the suspension in July of refunds under IPARD II, following the investigations undertaken on allegations of corruption related to the implementation of this program. The report drawn up by the European anti-fraud office, OLAF, has been submitted to the Albanian authorities, of which the Commission says it expects them to take the matter very seriously.
When in July of this year the European Commission announced the temporary suspension of reimbursements to the Albanian government for the financing of agricultural projects carried out under the IPARD II Program, the Ministry of Agriculture treated the case as an administrative matter.
Although Brussels made it clear that the measure was taken after an investigation into allegations of corruption related to the implementation of this program, everything was presented by the authority as "normal procedure of the European Union in the conditions when there is a need to verify expenses suspected of activities not in accordance with the established rules".
This approach was maintained in parliament by the Minister of Agriculture at that time, Frida Krifca, the former director of the Agricultural and Rural Development Agency (AZHBR), which administers the funds of the European program. After less than two months, Mrs. Krifca was left out of the government cabinet
The investigation by OLAF has been completed, and the European Commission has presented it to the Albanian authorities, who have the right to reject and justify or provide contradictory facts. " Once the Commission receives a response from the authorities, we will assess the need for any further action. Given that we are dealing with EU taxpayers' money, we expect the Albanian authorities to take this matter very seriously," the response reads . that the European Delegation in Tirana gave to the Voice of America.
The situation does not seem as simple as the Albanian authorities have tried to present it. Because the suspension of IPARD II funds has been added to the suspension of the start of the implementation of the next phase of IPARD III, with a value of over 140 million euros.
" Since July 2023, the European Commission has stopped the reimbursement of IPARD expenses for Albania. Currently, the suspension concerns expenses incurred during the first and second quarter of 2023. At the same time, the European Commission has put on hold the approval for all IPARD III measures. These are temporary preventive measures to protect the financial interests of the European Union ", it is explained in the response of the EU Delegation in Tirana.
The Voice of America directed you to the Ministry of Agriculture for information on the position of the Albanian side regarding the Ipard III Program, but received a wooden answer, where no explanation is given, as if everything is following a normal course.
In fact, the Albanian authorities had anticipated that IPARD III would start in January, but they have not yet been entrusted with the tasks of implementation or re-accreditation. Brussels' position is quite clear: " The European Union is ready to continue supporting Albanian farmers, the agri-food sector and rural areas in the future, provided that the financial interests of the European Union are properly protected. "
In this year's progress report for Albania, when talking about the "Protection of the financial interests of the EU", it is noted that the country has made little progress in this area and that "it should improve cooperation with the European Commission for investigations" .
In 2022, 71 cases of suspected irregularities and fraud were reported in the IPA and IPARD programs. According to the document, " Albania should increase its efforts in creating a stable track record in cooperation in investigations, providing, among other things, effective operational assistance to OLAF investigators ".
The investigations of the European Anti-Fraud Office started after the denunciations of various citizens for corruption, favoritism and political interference. The representatives of the European Office carried out several missions in Albania, making verifications in the offices of the AZHBR, as well as analyzing the documentation of suspected cases that had benefited from European funds.
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