Ferhat calls for deadline extension to protect fire-hit farmers’ compensation rights
Rhodope MP Özgür Ferhat has called for the deadline for paying 2023 ELGA insurance contributions to be extended until December 31, 2026, arguing that farmers affected by the 2023 wildfires should not lose compensation because of collection problems beyond their control.
Rhodope MP Özgür Ferhat has brought to Parliament the case of farmers affected by the 2023 wildfires who risk being excluded from compensation because their ELGA (Hellenic Agricultural Insurance Organization) insurance contributions were not collected from their bank accounts.
Ferhat submitted a written parliamentary question to the ministers of Rural Development and Food, National Economy and Finance, and Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, seeking changes to the compensation framework for agricultural businesses affected by fires between July 17 and September 7, 2023.
COMPENSATION FRAMEWORK COVERS RHODOPE AND MERİÇ (EVROS)
A joint ministerial decision issued in June 2026 provides financial support for agricultural holdings affected by the 2023 wildfires in several parts of Greece, including the Regional Units of Rhodope and Meriç. The decision sets out the eligibility conditions and procedures for compensation and restoration of damaged agricultural production.
According to Ferhat, one of the conditions for receiving the support is the payment of the special ELGA insurance contribution for 2023 within the applicable deadline.
The MP says, however, that cases have emerged in which farmers completed the required procedures when submitting their 2023 agricultural declarations and provided their bank account details so that the ELGA contribution could be collected electronically, but the payment was nevertheless not completed.
FARMERS COULD LOSE COMPENSATION OVER UNCOLLECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
Ferhat argues that farmers should not be held responsible when an electronic collection process fails despite them having completed the required steps.
He also points to cases in which the outstanding ELGA contributions are relatively small. In one example cited by the MP, an unpaid contribution of €34.19 could potentially prevent a farmer from receiving compensation for wildfire damage.
“The farmer who suffered damage from the wildfire, completed the required procedures, provided their bank account and completed the necessary process for the ELGA contribution to be collected should not be penalized because the collection did not take place,” Ferhat said.
He added that some farmers’ outstanding contributions amount to only a few dozen euros and argued that farmers should not lose compensation because of an electronic collection problem for which they were not responsible.
CALL FOR DEADLINE EXTENSION TO DECEMBER 31
Ferhat is calling for an amendment to Joint Ministerial Decision 144758/2026 to allow farmers whose ELGA contributions were not collected through no fault of their own to settle the outstanding amounts and retain their eligibility for compensation.
He is specifically seeking an extension of the deadline for paying 2023 ELGA insurance contributions until at least December 31, 2026.
The request would give wildfire-affected farmers additional time to identify and settle outstanding contributions while allowing the authorities to distinguish between cases of non-payment attributable to producers and cases in which the electronic collection process failed.
REQUEST FOR ELGA RECORDS TO BE REVIEWED
Ferhat has also called for ELGA’s electronic records from 2023 to be examined alongside the bank account information submitted by farmers.
The purpose, according to his parliamentary intervention, would be to identify cases in which an ELGA contribution was not collected despite the farmer having provided the necessary information and to determine whether the failure occurred without the farmer’s responsibility.
“The state’s task is not to place new obstacles before farmers who have suffered major losses in wildfires, but to address their difficulties,” Ferhat said, calling for an immediate regulatory solution to protect the compensation rights of farmers who were not responsible for the failure to collect their ELGA contributions.
The June 2026 framework remains in force until July 16, 2027, while the decision also establishes deadlines for the restoration of damaged agricultural holdings and related applications.
