Executive Vice-President Fitto, responding to a parliamentary question from MEP Galato Alexandraki (ECR), placed the responsibility for adequately staffing Aegean forest services squarely on Greek authorities while pointing to existing EU technical assistance tools that could help address chronic understaffing. The answer, delivered on behalf of the Commission, aims to reassure island regions that EU funding need not be lost due to administrative capacity gaps, but stops short of proposing new EU-level indicators or mandatory staffing requirements.
The question, submitted on 20 February 2026, warned that persistent understaffing of Aegean forest services was delaying projects co-financed by Cohesion Funds, the Recovery Fund and LIFE programmes, risking loss of EU funding for small islands like Tilos. Alexandraki invoked the constitutional principle of insularity and the EU principle of territorial cohesion to argue for specially adapted staffing policies.
Fitto's answer contains no new concrete proposals, numerical targets or deadlines. Instead, it reiterates existing mechanisms: technical assistance under shared management, the LIFE programme's capacity-building project in Greece, and the proposed National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPP) Regulation, which would allow Greece to propose specific measures for Aegean forest services if adopted. The Commission also pointed to the Environment and Climate Change programme (budget 16.2 million euros) and EU technical assistance tools such as the Technical Support Instrument, TAIEX-REGIO Peer2Peer and Cohesion for Transitions.
The Commission maintains a decentralised approach, insisting that staffing and organisation of forest services remain a national responsibility. It offers support tools but does not signal any intention to create EU-level administrative capacity indicators or mandatory conditions for island regions. The answer leans toward subsidiarity and shared management, resisting calls for top-down EU intervention.
The NRPP Regulation proposal is pending adoption by the European Parliament and Council. If adopted, Greece could include measures for Aegean forest services in its NRPP plan after consultations. In the meantime, Greek authorities can request support through existing technical assistance instruments. No specific timeline is given.