MACRO-ECONOMIC AGGREGATES
The Greek National Statistics Services (NSS) informs periodically the Ministry of Rural Development and Food about the evolution of the basic economic aggregates as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Gross Fixed Capital Formation (Public and Private), the employment in agriculture, etc. Also our Ministry monitors the results of two main Census of NSS: a) Census of Agriculture and Livestock b) Farm Structural Survey.

AGRICULTURAL INCOME
Our Ministry through the National Statistic Services and particular the department of National Accounts attends the evolution of Agricultural Income in Greece and in other Member States of EU. The Agricultural Income is one of the most important economic aggregates attended by the National Statistics Services of Greece. It is calculated, along with the main income indicators (A,B and C), according to the methodology of the national accounts ESA 95. As agricultural income is defined the income generated by agricultural activities over a given accounting period, even though in certain cases the corresponding revenues will not be revised until a later date. It does not therefore constitute the income effectively itself. Moreover it is not indicator of total income or of the disposable income of the farming holdings, since they often receive income from other sources (non- agricultural activities, salaries, social benefits, income from property).

FINANCING OF AGRICULTURAL EXPENSES
According to Reg.1290/2005 for the financing of CAP, including Rural Development, there are two Funds established inside the European Budget:
- The European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF)
- The European Agricultural Rural Development Fund (EARDF)
The EAGF finances expenditure concerning the agricultural markets, that is refunds on exports, interventions on markets, direct payments and also central payments made by Commission for the promotion of agricultural products, veterinary actions, fisheries, etc.
The EARDF finances programs of Rural Development.
The expenditure of Member States from 16 October 2006 on is financed from these two Funds.
The unit of Income and Financing Policy has the responsibility of participating in the Funds Committee's meetings, which helps European Commission in its work. Also the Paying Agency (OPEKEPE) participates. Topics discussed are consultation on financing of the MS for the following month, consultation on clearance of accounts, vote on projects of Commission's regulations, etc.

FINANCIAL TOPICS (AGRIFIN)
AGRIFIN is a working group of the Council which deals with financial aspects related to agricultural policy, such as financial implications of the measures to be decided, Early Warning System, reports of the European Court of Auditors, etc. President of the AGRIFIN group's meetings is representative of the Member State, which has the presidency of the EU. The results of the meetings are announced to COREPER.

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the first common policy legally established since the foundation of the then European Economic Community (EEC). It operates clear and strictly binding rules for its member-states absorbing a large amount of community financial resources.

During its long standing (over forty years of existence), the CAP has frequently undergone far-reaching changes and adjustments with a view of responding to contemporary challenges of a rapidly evolving world, on the front of finance, environment, consumption, etc, and aligning with international and national provisions and commitments resulted in the context of various international organizations such as WTO, OECD, FAO, etc, in which the European Union participates either as a full member or an observer status or otherwise.

The European Union successfully maintains diplomatic relations with a large number of countries all over the world and, in this sense, it plays an increasingly influential role on a global level. 

With the original Treaties of the European Union established as they have been evolved over the years, a large amount of sovereign rights and powers have been transferred to the Institutions of the European Union, the European Commission in particular, which exercises its legal rights on their behalf, responding officially to all commitments stipulated and agreed in the Treaties. Under the recently launched European Constitution, subject to ratification of member states, the functions of the Commission (mainly as a manager, negotiator and guardian of the Treaties) will be increasingly broadened and more clarified.

The export trade is considered to be the most but not the sole important basis of the external relations of the EU negotiating with trade partners, determining tariff procedures, free-tariff agreements or reduction, quota-tariff imports and related matters.
CAP is directly related to the implementation of a new common export policy, which, in turn, is related to commitments arising out of jointly signed International Conventions. On the basis of this framework, the operation of the CAP is closely related to the operation of the Common Commercial Policy.
During the operation of the CAP, several negotiating Rounds have taken place in the context of then GATT, lately replaced by WTO in 1995, in which agriculture was the main subject of negotiations resulting eventually in successful agreements.

Over the last three years, there have been ongoing negotiations with agriculture in focus, in the framework of Development Doha Agenda (D.D.A) as a continuous process of Uruguay’s Round terminated in 2000.

A new agreement ever reached will have a strong impact on the international trade in the direction of its further liberalization affecting profoundly farmers’ domestic support, in particular the part of it which is strongly responsible for the distortion of international trade in agricultural products.
Beyond the multilateral trade negotiations and agreements, the European Union signs trade agreements with third countries after intensive consultations with the countries concerned, which are eventually binding for implementation for its member states. These agreements may be in the form of preferential ones or not, specific agreements for commodities or partnerships (such as EU - Australia agreement for wines or EU – Russia agreement on veterinary sector, etc.

All the above agriculture issues related to CAP fall into the responsibility of our Ministry of Rural Development and Food and to a large extent into the competence of the Directorate for Agricultural Policy and Documentation.

Our Directorate participates actively with our experts either directly or indirectly via coordination parties convened in order to formulate a common stance that will eventually represent the position of the European Union in international Fora.

Our country, while being a member of the European Union since 1981 with all its commitments arising out of its signed Treaty, has established bilateral relations with several countries by signing protocols or partnerships which are part of foreign policy coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

These protocols are inevitably signed with developing countries expecting assistance in know-how, educational in certain specific areas etc. The existence of this kind of cooperation will potentially form the basis of building better commercial relations for mutual benefit in the long run.

More information: Sotiris Koutsomitros, tel.: 210 212 55 08  E-mail:

The Section of Documentation of the Directorate for the Agricultural Policy and Documentation collects and processes the essential data for the agricultural sector (e.g. trade for agricultural products, annual statistical agricultural research, etc), in cooperation with the Section for Statistics and the National Statistical Service of Greece.

It provides thematic maps on a Regional, Prefecture and Municipality level.

In addition, the Section collects and elaborates statistical data of plant production, in cooperation with the Section for Statistics and provides models for data input and elaboration.

It has designed the website of the Directorate, and is responsible for upgrading, updating and feeding of the site with information and data.
The site contains contains E.U. regulations, European Council sessions and Committees of the E. Commission, issues of foreign and fiscal policy, statistical data, foreign trade, thematic maps, CAP implementation information, agro-tourism, articles, studies, works, presentation of the library of the Ministry etc. The whole Directorate contributes to the feeding of the website.

The library of the Ministry is managed by our Section. The selection of the library is the biggest in the country for agricultural issues, exceeding 100,000 volumes, magazines and informative material. There are books from 19th century, publications from national and international organizations (FAO, INIA, OCDE) and from the E.U. It also contains the national legislation from 1920 onwards in a printed and electronic form. The library is equipped by the necessary librarian software, provided by the National Centre of Documentation. It is upgraded in many fields, such as proper allocation of book catalogues in accordance with the topics and titles, in such a way to make the library accessible to any interested reader.
 

Information: Thanassis Papoulias, tel. 210 212 5502, e-mail:

• Register of Aquaculture Production Businesses

National legislation regarding plant protection products

• Law 4036/2012 - Consolidated version -  Unofficial translation
• List of national legislation regarding official controls on marketing and use of plant protection products in Greece (Version: 22.08.15)

Sustainable Use of Pesticides – National Action Plan

• Implementation of SUD in Greece 
• Sustainable use of pesticides in Greece
• National transposition of directive 2009/128/EC (law 4036/2012)
• National Action Plan on sustainable use of pesticides
• Question database for granting the certificate of knowledge for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides

Enforcement measures regarding controls on plant protection products

• Inspection requirements for the production, storage or movement of not authorized in Greece plant protection products intended for use in another Member State or in a third country
• Inspection procedure of farmers-users of plant protection products
• Additional measures for the implementation of the Regulation (EC) num. 1107/2009 concerning the official controls of plant protection products
• Technical procedures for plant protection products chemical control

Implementation of the regulation 1272/2008 for labeling and packaging of Plant Protection Products and Biocides

• ECHA guidelines for labeling and packaging according to regulation 1272/2008

• REGULATION (EU) No 528/2012 concerning the making available on the market and use of biocidal products

IMPLEMENTATION OF REGULATION 528/2012

• BPR Fee e-payment: Notice to the applicants
• List of BPR Fees in Greece

• List of Approved Hatcheries and Establishments Keeping Poultry for Intra-EU trade [Regulations (EU) 2016/429 and 2019/2035] (20.08.2026)

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