No food distribution from TEBA until summer 2026
The last food distribution to TEBA beneficiaries took place in November 2023, when the Municipality of İskeçe served as the program’s lead partner. Since then, the process has been suspended — and according to current estimates, no new distributions will occur before summer 2026.
Program Shift to Regional Authorities
Under the new 2023–2027 programming period, the leadership of the TEBA program (Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived) has shifted from municipalities to regional administrations. This means that regions are now responsible for conducting public tenders and appointing contractors, while municipalities no longer participate in the process.
Audit Court Rejection Delays Tender for Eastern Macedonia & Thrace (EMT)
According to Vasilis Mavridis, special advisor to the Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, the region issued a public call and selected a contractor, submitting the tender documents for pre-contractual audit by the Court of Audit. However, the documents were returned with multiple remarks and must be revised and reissued.
As Mavridis explained, the correction and re-tendering process will take several months, meaning no food distribution will resume before summer 2026:
“Unfortunately, there’s a significant delay. Some specifications had to be modified. A new tender will be issued, but distributions will not start before mid-2026,” he noted.
Why Were Municipalities Removed?
TEBA is an EU-funded program that provides food and basic material assistance to vulnerable social groups, along with measures supporting social integration.
From 2015 to 2020, the Municipality of İskeçe led the Social Partnership of the İskeçe Regional Unit, named “STHIRI-ZO”, involving local municipalities and social organizations. The program operated in two phases, with a total budget of €12 million, and was successfully audited by the EU without any remarks.
The program supported 190 active beneficiary families (with children under 3 years old) across the municipalities of İskeçe, Bulustra, İnhanlı, and Mustafçova, distributing essential goods and food items.
Risk of Losing EU Funding
Despite the proven success of municipal management — both in logistics and financial administration — the government transferred control to regional authorities, requiring an international public tender process.
This lengthy procedure has caused severe delays nationwide. Similar bottlenecks are reported in other regions as well. Given the tight deadlines set by the European Commission for fund absorption, there is now a real risk that Greece may lose part of its TEBA funding if implementation does not resume promptly.
