A working meeting with representatives of the Italian payment agency AGEA was held at the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, focusing on the expertise that the Italian agency possesses in critical aspects of agricultural payments, according to a related announcement.
Representing AGEA at the meeting were the Agency’s Director, Fabio Vitale, and the Director of Coordination, Salvatore Carfì, who presented Italy’s experience in the areas of payments, audits, cross-checks, and risk analysis.
The Governor and senior officials of the AADE had the opportunity to learn about the best practices implemented by AGEA in the operation of the Italian paying agency, as well as the procedures that support the proper and timely payment of subsidies to beneficiaries.
Particular emphasis was placed on the use of remote sensing and the monitoring system to track declarations and crops, as well as on their contribution to enhancing the accuracy, transparency, and reliability of payments.
The meeting also addressed issues related to the new IACS application, the procedures for submitting and processing declarations, as well as the checks required for cross-verifying data and confirming beneficiaries.
The Italian experience is of particular importance to the Greek side, as Greece and Italy share a similar geospatial context, a fact that makes the exchange of expertise on issues related to remote sensing, monitoring, audits, and the management of agricultural payments particularly valuable.
It was also agreed to continue cooperation at the technical level, with AADE officials traveling to Italy to learn more about the procedures and practices implemented by AGEA.
The AADE’s engagement with AGEA is part of an effort to draw on the experience of European payment agencies that have developed expertise in the field of agricultural subsidies, with the aim of incorporating best practices when planning the next steps.