The EPPO has also charged nine individuals.
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Up to five companies and nine individuals have been charged by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Rome (Italy) with aggravated fraud to obtain €4 million for the aquaculture sector.
The five cooperative societies submitted false documentation and fictitious insurance policies to obtain €4 million funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to build fish tanks and a fishing boat.
In addition, during the application period, one of the companies was excluded from receiving funds after being sanctioned with an anti-mafia preventive measure.
Specifically, four companies received €1.4 million from the EMFF, and despite reports that the work on the new tanks had started, subsequent checks proved this was not true.
In may 2024, the European Commission presented two documents to address the main challenges European aquaculture is facing: complex regulatory framework and difficult administrative procedures and difficulties for the development of marine aquaculture.
According to a report by the EU Court of Auditors (ECA), despite an improved EU framework for the sustainable development of aquaculture in member states, including ploughing 1 billion euros of funding into the sector over a seven-year period, no tangible results have emerged.
