Commenting on this, Arno Bausemer, a member of the ESN Group in the European Parliament and a member of the Committees on Agriculture and Budgetary Control, said:
“We will not tolerate criminals enriching themselves while our farmers foot the bill. Brussels routinely meddles in areas that belong back under national responsibility. Funds need to reach farmers directly, instead of disappearing into Brussels’ administrative machinery. We also demand stricter national controls, consistent clawbacks, and tangible penalties for fraud. Agricultural and structural policy must once again be the responsibility of the Member States — where control and accountability also lie. We finally need an end to centralised redistribution! Europe doesn’t need a bureaucracy machine, but sovereign states that decide for themselves how their money is used.”
Anja Arndt, Member of the ESN Group in the European Parliament and a member of the Environment Committee, added:
“This is not an isolated case, but a symptom of a sick system. The Brussels subsidy system is a paradise for fraudsters. Billions are collected centrally and distributed through a thicket of programmes and agencies. In the end, the wrong people benefit — and our honest, hard-working farmers pay the price.
Brussels meddles in areas that are better handled under national responsibility. Agricultural and structural policy must once again become the task of the Member States — where the money comes from and where oversight can work better.”
