journalism fund

The “Exclusive IPARD Club”: Who “farms” the EU funds in Albania and North Macedonia?!

The temporary suspension of the IPARD II agriculture programme in Albania, after EU suspicions of corruption, is only the tip of the iceberg of the 94.6 million euros grant package. The program was transformed into an “exclusive club” for big companies and companies tied to politics and crime. Meanwhile, in North Macedonia, the program exposed similar ties, however, they were more sporadic and more minimal compared to Albania.

Suspicions of corruption with EU funds, Minister of Agriculture hides behind farmers

The Minister of Agriculture, Frida Krifca, defended at the Parliament the IPARD II Program, which she had led when she was the director of the agency which manages EU funds for agriculture, and told the opposition that accusations were an attack against the entire sector. Her reaction came as a result of the extreme measure taken by the EU to temporarily suspend reimbursement on corruption suspicions.

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