From Albania to North Macedonia: Revealing systemic irregularities, bureaucratic challenges, and the need for transparency in distributing IPARD II funds
In the realm of investigative journalism, delving into systemic corruption is no small feat. Geri Emiri, alongside Aida Ciro and Aleksandar Dimitrievski of Amfora.al, earned 3rd prize at the EU Investigative Journalism Awards 2024 for uncovering the misuse of IPARD II funds in Albania and North Macedonia. Their groundbreaking investigation shed light on significant irregularities in agricultural funding. We spoke with Amfora.al journalist Geri Emiri to explore the intricacies of their investigation, the challenges they faced, and the impact of their findings.
“The Agricultural and Rural Development Agency (ARDA) in Albania regularly promoted projects funded by IPARD on social media,” explains Emiri.
“We noticed that many of these projects were not directly related to agriculture but instead tied to secondary sectors like agrotourism. This sparked our curiosity. We started analysing the projects and their beneficiaries, only to find that a significant share of the funds went to individuals and businesses connected to politics, organised crime, and other questionable networks.”
The team expanded their investigation to North Macedonia, given its similar EU accession status and agricultural profile. While corruption was less pronounced there, systemic challenges still hindered small farmers’ access to funding.
“Our approach was rooted in thorough data analysis,” says Emiri.
They examined beneficiary lists, business registrations, and financial statements, while combining it with cross-referencing social media activity and official documents.
“In Albania, we found beneficiaries with criminal records, ties to politics, and businesses set up solely to exploit the IPARD program. In one case, a family created multiple companies to pocket €341,494, without experience in agriculture.”
In North Macedonia, their findings were more nuanced.
While corruption wasn’t as widespread, bureaucratic hurdles and delayed reimbursements, some stretching over five years, placed an unfair burden on farmers Additional problem was the refusal of institutions to provide information.
Despite invoking Albania’s Law on the Right to Information, ARDA denied their requests, citing confidentiality agreements with the EU. It wasn’t until months later that the Office of the Commissioner for the Right to Information intervened, albeit after legal deadlines had passed.
Simultaneously, delays in prosecutors’ responses and the complexity of tracing individuals with multiple aliases required extensive effort. “Cross-referencing public databases and personal identifiers became crucial to piecing the story together,” Emiri shares.
“In Albania, the program’s design and implementation overwhelmingly favoured large companies over small farmers,” says Emiri.
“Farmers often lacked the financial resources to navigate the application process, which could cost up to €20,000. Meanwhile, large businesses with no agricultural ties received grants of up to €1 million.”
In contrast, while North Macedonia showed greater focus on farmers, delays in disbursement still created barriers, leaving some waiting years for reimbursement.
The fallout in Albania was substantial.
“The European Commission temporarily suspended the IPARD program due to suspected corruption,” notes Emiri. “Additionally, the former Minister of Agriculture was dismissed following our report.”
ARDA has since initiated legal proceedings against companies accused of misuse, and public awareness of these issues has grown significantly, with over 50 news stories and television discussions following the publication of Amfora.al’s investigation.
“Transparency and oversight are critical,” Emiri asserts.
He believes creating an EU-led task force specifically for the Balkans should be the next step, democratising application criteria to align with local conditions, and increasing independent oversight during fund allocation.
“Our work is far from over,” declares Emiri. Amfora.al is expanding its investigations into similar corruption schemes across other sectors. “We aim to continue holding institutions accountable, ensuring public funds serve their intended purpose.“
