The agricultural sector and related areas constitute a key pillar of the Greek economy and contribute significantly to maintaining social cohesion and promoting regional development in Greece. However, Greek farmers are confronted with chronic structural problems, notably very high production costs.

Greece is consistently ranked near the top of EU Member States regarding the cost of purchasing agricultural supplies (seeds, fertilisers and pesticides). Greek producers complain about unfair corporate practices, given the vast differences in the price of supplies in Greece compared to neighbouring countries. The result of all this is that Greek farmers face a serious threat to their livelihoods and find it difficult to run their farms properly, which disrupts Greece’s food self-sufficiency and has a negative impact on the balance of exports — imports.

Given that equal treatment is one of the basic principles of the single market, will the Commission say:

— How can it account for the vast difference between the cost of specific agricultural products in Greece and other countries, especially those with a similar standard of living?
— Has any price survey of agricultural supplies been conducted in the EU Member States and in countries belonging to the same climate zones?
— Have the EU or national competent authorities checked whether a cartel exists in this specific market and how the Commission will protect Greek producers?