The relocation of hundreds of state employees from Copenhagen to the provinces may delay payouts of agricultural subsidies from the EU, reports Politiken.
In the coming weeks, 390 employees of the AgriFish Agency (NaturErhvervsstyrelsen) are scheduled to move from the capital to Tønder and Sønderborg in southern Jutland, and this may slow down the processing of the EU fund payments.
In September 2015, Henrik Studsgaard, the head of the Environment and Food Ministry department, notified the Finance Ministry that the employee relocation would “almost certainly lead to longer processing times and the agency won’t be able to meet redistribution targets”.
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A real problem
Mogens Ove Madsen, an expert on agricultural economics from Aalborg University, told Politiken the delayed payouts of EU subsidies may present a real problem to struggling farmers who are already at risk of being forced to sell their property.
In 2013, the AgriFish Agency paid out some 7.2 billion kroner in agricultural subsidies from the EU, but the amount is expected to decrease to 6.6 billion by 2020.
Last autumn, the Danish government decided to implement the ‘Better Balance’ plan and move about 3,900 government employees from Copenhagen to the provinces.
