SKOPJE – The European Commission has lifted the suspension of IPARD III funds for North Macedonia, restoring access to the programme, aimed at assisting EU candidate countries in modernising their agriculture and rural economies. The disbursement of funds for the country had been suspended amid a bribery case.
Cvetan Tripunovski, Minister of Agriculture of North Macedonia, stated that it was determined by the EU that there had been no irregularities in the proceedings of these funds.
“I want to deny the speculations that were tendentially made public by the opposition trying to create a false image, panic and revolt among Macedonian farmers, claiming that IPARD funds are blocked, and farmers will be left without support”, Tripunovski stated.
In early November 2025, it was reported that North Macedonia decided to temporarily suspend the payment of funds from the IPARD programme, following the arrest of the head of the Agency for Financial Support of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ilia Stoilev, in a bribery case.
“Stoilev, who comes from the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party, is suspected of having agreed with a former minister of the country to receive the sum of 50,000 euros. In total, there are 4 people suspected of these abuses of EU funds, who have been sentenced to 30 days in pre-trial detention, while several others are under ‘house arrest’”, Gazeta Express wrote.
