Period: 01-30. November 2025
November marked the potential corruption scandal for the IPARD Programme in Macedonia, the temporary suspension of all payments and the appointment of a new Director of the Agency for Financial Support in Agriculture and Rural Development. Published information in the media, on the topic of IPARD, reached a peak with over 280 shared news stories in almost all media outlets in the country.
- In early November, five people were detained on suspicion of corruption and bribery for an IPARD contract.
Among those detained was the Director of the Paying Agency, Ilija Stoilev. The Director and three other suspects were given thirty-day detention, and one person was placed under house arrest.
News of the potential scandal quickly spread across all media outlets. The most frequently shared text is the quote from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ statement: “The first suspect is the one who offered a bribe. As a manager of a legal entity, from the end of February this year until yesterday, on several occasions, directly and through intermediaries, he promised a gift – funds of significant value to the Director of the Agency for Financial Support in Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Macedonia. The other three suspects, one of whom is a tax officer at the Public Revenue Office Skopje and one civil servant employed at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, using their real influence and official position, requested and encouraged the director of the agency to perform an official action that he was not allowed to perform. Namely, although the legal entity of the first suspect did not meet the conditions stipulated in the Public Call No. 01/24 for submitting requests for the use of funds from the IPARD Programme for Measure 3, the Director, after receiving the promise of a gift in the amount of 50,000 euros, signed an agreement for the use of financial funds with the legal entity yesterday and in doing so received part of the funds in the amount of 400 euros, which were found and seized during a search.”
***The news is available at the following links:
https://antropol.mk/2025/11/07/lev-sluc-stoil-ja-otrki-korupc-vo-zemj-preku-ipard-progr/
https://civilmedia.mk/pritvor-za-chetiri-litsa-osomnicheni-za-potkup-vo-vrska-so-ipard-programata/
https://nezavisen.mk/i-podmituvachot-i-podmiteniot-30-dena-vo-pritvor-za-ipard-programata/
- National Authorization Officer has decided to suspend all payments under IPARD 3. The decision takes effect immediately and will last until certain conditions and action plans are met.
The European Delegation in Skopje welcomed the decision of the national institutions to suspend all payments from the IPARD 3 Programme until the circumstances surrounding the investigation in the Paying Agency are clarified. At the same time, they said that the goal is to protect the financial interests of the European Union.
The news was shared by numerous Macedonian media.
The portal 24 Info.mk published an article titled “EU stops payments of 128 million euros for the IPARD 3 Programme”. The article quoted the response from the European Delegation in Macedonia: “The European Commission is aware of the media information about the investigation of the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Corruption, which includes the director of the agency responsible for the IPARD Programme. The Commission has requested additional information from the national institutions and reserves the right to take preventive measures to protect the financial interests of the EU. We welcome the decision of the national institutions to suspend all payments from IPARD 3 until the circumstances are clarified,” the EU Delegation said in a response. The information was published more than 200 times in about 50 Macedonian media outlets.
***The news is available at the following links:
https://24info.mk/eu-gi-stopira-isplatite-od-128-milioni-evra-za-ipard-3-programata/
https://nezavisen.mk/brisel-kje-gi-shtiti-evropskite-pari-vo-makedonskoto-zemjodelstvo/
https://24info.mk/eu-gi-stopira-isplatite-od-128-milioni-evra-za-ipard-3-programata/
https://www.vecer.press/prekinata-isplatata-na-sredstvata-od-ipard-programata/
- The operation of the Paying Agency has been restored to normal. A new director of the AFSARD has been appointed at a government session.
A new Director of the Paying Agency, Daniela Lazarova Irotova, former State Secretary and State Advisor at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, has been appointed. She will continue the current processes in the Agency so that there is no concern among farmers who are waiting for the payment of subsidies. With her appointment, the payment of subsidies will continue on an ongoing basis.
***The news is available at the following links:
https://libertas.mk/naznachena-nova-direktorka-na-platezhnata-agenci-a-na-mestoto-na-stoilev /
https://24info.mk/imenuvana-nova-direktorka-na-platezhnata-agenczija-na-mestoto-na-stoilev/
