The Greek government’s vice president, Kostis Hatzidakis, stated the government was mulling over the idea of ceding the responsibilities of dispersing agricultural funding via the EU from Greece’s Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid (OPEKEPE) to the Independent Public Revenue Authority (AADE) after the Greek farming scandal.

In an interview with Skai Radio on Monday, Hatzidakis, who touched on a series of current affairs issues and government initiatives, said any decision regarding the transfer of power from OPEKEPE would be grounded in legal certainty and efficiency.

The government official highlighted AADE’s proven track record of impartiality and effectiveness, noting its past role in managing payments during the COVID-19 crisis.

He further described the current state of OPEKEPE as typical of how the “deep state” operates in Greece—serving the interests of entrenched bureaucrats and opportunists at the expense of society and successive governments.

Similar issues related to agricultural subsidies, he noted, have also arisen in other European countries and are well known to those involved in the agricultural economy.

“We either confront the deep state and bureaucracy, or we become its victims,” Hatzidakis asserted, framing the issue as both a matter of electoral commitment and moral responsibility. He pointed to recent reforms such as the digital modernization of public services, the restructuring of the Public Power Corporation (DEI), improvements to the social insurance agency EFKA, and civil service evaluations as steps in the right direction—but stressed that much more needs to be done. “Every government must decide from the outset whether it wants to govern through public relations or through results. You can get by on image for a while, but in the end, everything is judged by outcomes. If healthcare, education, social policy, and the economy don’t improve, the bill comes due—first for the government, and even more so for society.”

Regarding public sector evaluations, Hatzidakis affirmed that they will proceed with a definite understanding of social realities, adherence to institutional principles, and alignment with practices across Europe. He argued that in areas like public sector job permanency and university governance, society has moved beyond the outdated political discourse of the 1980s and 1990s.