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Three years without IPARD funds in agriculture

2026-08-06 18:48:00 / POLITIKË ALFA PRESS
Three years without IPARD funds in agriculture

At the beginning of the year, the Minister of Agriculture, Andis Salla, declared that the IPARD III program funds would be opened within the first half of the year.

"On the 9th, I will be in Brussels with the team to continue the next steps so that within the first six months we can continue with the opening and opening of this very important sector..." -  promised Salla. 

However, IPARD III funds were not released and there has been no decision by the European Commission to authorize the resumption of the program.

What did the Ministry say after the deadline passed?

At the beginning of July, after the deadline mentioned by the minister expired, Faktoje approached the Ministry of Agriculture to understand on what basis the declaration had been made and at what stage the process for returning IPARD funds to agriculture was.

"The Minister's statement is based on the assessment of the progress of the re-accreditation process of IPARD III measures and the continued readiness of the relevant European Union structures,"  states the official response from the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Ministry did not identify (in response) any decision, letter or official communication from the European Commission confirming the June deadline.

"The Ministry is in constant communication with the European Commission regarding the process of delegating powers for the implementation of IPARD III. Our objective remains the fulfillment of all institutional and technical requirements that will enable the release of funds,"  it further added.

In official responses, the institution confirms that Albania had updated the documentation, addressed the technical comments and was preparing the audit process, but the procedures were still ongoing and no decision had been made to resume the program.

In other words, the Ministry of Agriculture admitted that the minister's promise was not based on an official confirmation from the European Commission.

Even Minister Salla himself was forced to provide clarifications after June passed. In a  television interview  in early July, he stopped talking about a concrete date for the reinstatement of IPARD III, but described the process as still awaiting assessment by the European Commission.

"For IPARD funds, we are in an ongoing process with the European Commission. Last week we had a meeting in the committee for IPARD funds and we are in the final phase where we have completed all the tasks that have been requested of us and we are in the final phase of the evaluation,"  the minister declared.

A history of missed deadlines

This is not the first time that Albanian authorities have announced a deadline for the opening of IPARD III. Since the suspension of the program in 2023, the government has repeatedly given deadlines for the return of funds, while the European Commission has reiterated that the process depends on the fulfillment of conditions and there is no set date for the resumption of the program.

Even regarding the latest deadline given by Minister Andis Salla, "Faktoje" warned that it was not based on an official confirmation from Brussels. At that time, any expectation of the opening of the program within a specified period was considered a unilateral prediction of the Albanian authorities and not a date confirmed by the European side.

Further, a few weeks after the Albanian government's statements about an imminent return of funds, the European Commission confirmed to Faktoje that the procedure with the Albanian authorities was still ongoing and that there was no set deadline for the resumption of the IPARD III program.

According to the Commission, discussions were ongoing on the implementation of corrective measures and the establishment of the necessary mechanisms to protect the financial interests of the European Union.

Why was IPARD suspended?

The IPARD agricultural support program provides grants to assist the agricultural sector in all countries that are in the process of joining the European Union. Albania is one of the five countries benefiting from grant support.

Albania received over €71 million in grants during the 2014–2020 period through IPARD II. While the country was awaiting the launch of the IPARD III programme with around €146 million in funding, in July 2023 the European Commission suspended the funds following suspicions of irregularities and corruption in the administration of the scheme. The decision was also based on findings by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

For three years, Albanian authorities have undertaken a series of measures to meet the European Commission's requirements, including audits, review of procedures, and preparation for the re-accreditation of the structures that administer the funds.

However, the decision to resume the program remains in the hands of the European Commission and no official date for the resumption of IPARD III has been announced so far.

cONcluSiON

Minister of Agriculture Andis Salla publicly promised that IPARD III funds would be opened within the first half of 2026. The deadline has passed and the funds have not been opened.

The Ministry of Agriculture's official responses to "Faktoje" as well as official communication with the European Commission refute the minister's promise, confirming that the procedure is ongoing and there is no official deadline for the resumption of the program.

For these reasons, we categorize the promise to return IPARD III funds within June as an unfulfilled promise. /Esmeralda Topi – Fact

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