Cigler King announced a forensic review at the Department of Agriculture

Slovenian Agriculture Minister Janez Cigler Kralj has announced the initiation of a forensic audit at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food following revelations of serious financial irregularities. According to the minister, the ministry's financial situation has been found to be in disarray, with several million euros missing from its budget. The audit will investigate whether funds were misused or improperly allocated during the previous administration. Cigler Kralj emphasized that if any wrongdoing is uncovered, he will demand accountability from those responsible. The new leadership at the ministry discovered multiple financial gaps after conducting an initial review of the department’s finances. The minister explained that approximately nine million euros are missing from the budget needed to pay subsidized insurance premiums designed to protect farmers against increasingly frequent weather-related damages. These premiums are a crucial tool for safeguarding Slovenian agriculture. Further complications arose in the vineyard sector, where the budget allocation for this year was supposed to amount to around half a million euros. However, the review revealed that only about 62,000 euros remained available. Cigler Kralj stated that funds earmarked for 2026 had already been used in January to finance measures from the previous year. This discrepancy triggered additional checks, as there are indications that the reallocation occurred outside legal procedures. The forensic audit aims to determine whether laws or regulations were violated in the management of public funds and whether there was wasteful or unlawful conduct. The minister noted that appropriate actions will be taken once the audit concludes, including identifying personal responsibility if any irregularities are confirmed. Cigler Kralj also disclosed that upon taking office, the handover document had not been signed. He explained that the document lacked essential information necessary for a transparent transition of operations, which led the new leadership to refuse its approval. It took over a month to gather the missing information regarding the actual financial status of the ministry. Former minister Mateja Čalušić reportedly apologized for not completing the document before her departure. A key priority for the new administration is restoring dialogue with representatives of farmers, professional organizations, and research institutions. The minister assessed that many key stakeholders have not been included in the preparation of major decisions in recent years. Slovenia has also been too passive in shaping future European Union agricultural policy. To address these issues, Cigler Kralj recently met with EU Commissioner for Agriculture Christoph Hansen in Brussels to discuss the future multiannual financial framework and the position of Slovenian agriculture. Experts have long warned that the upcoming reform of the Common Agricultural Policy will significantly influence the distribution of European funds after 2027. The European Commission is placing increasing emphasis on food security, resilience of agriculture to climate change, digitalization, and greater competitiveness among European producers. The minister also addressed the controversy surrounding the cancellation of the research grant call titled “Our Food, Countryside, and Natural Resources,” which the Public Agency for Scientific Research terminated just days before the deadline in late June.