Some 1,400 investment plans that had been included in the development laws of 2004 and 2011 but never completed will automatically become disqualified, under an amendment tabled by Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos on Thursday.
The amendment, attached to a draft development ministry bill on quality policy, will provide a final solution to the issue without delays and bureaucracy, allowing the government to demand the return of 480 million euros given in aid for such projects, payable with interest from the date of receipt.
“Public funds must be directed to investments that are implemented, create jobs and strengthen production and the real economy,” a development ministry announcement said.
Ps It is clear that the Greek conservative government of Mitsotakis needed to feel the hot breath of the European Prosecutor on its neck to start doing the obvious, that is to crosscheck the use of financial aid given all these years mostly to friends and party friends and their relatives and friends.
Next to the OPEKEPE fraud scandal with the agricultural funds, the European Prosecutor has hinted that she will also investigate the distribution of other EU funds such as from the Recovery and Resilience Fund.
I think I have commented once in the past that the real fun will begin when they start looking into the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund because that’s where the real money is (all told, I believe about 32 billion Euro!). Every country had to submit plans for the application of those funds. I remember that Greece’s plan was greatly praised at the time, so it should be an easy task to check whether the funds went where they were supposed to go. Or perhaps. I remember reading comments in recent months that there is insufficient transparency about the sources/uses of those funds. Time will tell.