The member states of the EU gave the green light to a proposal by the European Commision to mobilise 98.6 million euro as emergency support to farmers in Cyprus, Spain, Croatia, Latvia and Hungary, who have been impacted by exceptionally adverse climatic events and natural disasters since spring 2024.
According to the proposal, the Commission will distribute 3.5 million euro to Cyprus, as well as 16.2 million euro to Hungary, 6.7 million euro to Croatia and 4.2 million euro to Latvia from the EU’s agricultural reserve.
The national authorities must distribute this aid by 30 September 2025 and ensure that farmers are the ultimate beneficiaries, the Commission explained in a press release.
This measure will help supporting farmers from these countries who have experienced a loss in production and, as a consequence, a loss of income, according to the Commission. These amounts can be complemented by up to 200% of national funds.
Cyprus experienced significant low rainfall and high temperatures in the first half of 2024, leading to dry conditions that affected the production in sectors such as cereals, olive and fruits and vegetables.
“We cannot change what has already happened, but we can learn from it and be better prepared”, said Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen in a written statement.
“Looking ahead, we must strengthen climate risk preparedness and crisis management, making sure rural areas get the support they need. This means reinforcing risk management in agriculture for farmers across the EU while ensuring our response remains swift and targeted when crises strike”, he added.
During the summer of 2024, Spain experienced rain deficit and extreme heat, leading to drought, as well as heavy storms in late October and early November 2024 which caused devastating floods and hundreds of casualties in the region of Valencia. The production in the fruit and vegetable, wine, olive, and livestock sectors were particularly impacted.
Croatia and Hungary also faced extremely high temperatures and drought during summer of 2024, affecting maize, sunflower, soya, sugar beet, fruit, potatoes, and wine production.
Latvia, meanwhile, suffered a mix of record-low winter temperatures, spring frost, and heavy summer rain, impacting cereals, rapeseed, fruit, vegetables, and potatoes.
Following today’s approval by member states, the Commission will adopt its proposal. It will then be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and enter into force the day following its publication so that the five member states can implement it without delay.
The common agricultural policy (CAP) 2023-2027 includes an agricultural reserve of 450 million euro per year to cope with market disruptions or exceptional events affecting production or distribution.
The five member states will also have to notify the Commission by 31 May 2025 about the details of the measures’ implementation.
Also read: Cyprus tops EU in per capita greenhouse gas footprint for 2022
Source: CNA
