EU Allocates Nearly €52 Million in Aid to Greek and Slovenian Farmers Affected by Natural Disasters
Today, the European Commission proposed measures worth €51.7 million to directly support Greek and Slovenian farmers affected by natural disasters. Greece will receive €43.1 million, and Slovenia will receive €8.6 million. These countries can supplement EU support with up to 200% in national funds, according to the European Commission's website.
If approved by the Committee for the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets on November 30, the proposals will be swiftly adopted to enable the Greek and Slovenian administrations to implement them immediately.
The funds are allocated from the EU's agricultural reserve for the year 2024. The amounts presented today take into account the damage assessment to the agricultural sector in Slovenia and Greece, as well as the corresponding weight of these two countries in the EU's agricultural sector based on their shares of direct CAP payments.
The need to preserve sufficient resources in the agricultural reserve to address potential crises in the remaining months of 2023 and 2024 was also considered.
Slovenia experienced an extraordinary amount of rainfall and storms in August, leading to landslides and floods. Greece, during August and September, faced unprecedented wildfires followed by severe floods that significantly impacted the agricultural landscape in affected regions.
The significant losses inflicted by these events on agricultural producers and the loss of income for affected farmers in Greece and Slovenia jeopardize the economic viability of agricultural holdings.
National authorities in Greece and Slovenia will directly distribute aid to farmers to compensate for economic losses, with payments expected to be made by May 31, 2024. Both countries must inform the Commission of the implementation details, including the criteria for calculating aid, the anticipated impact of the measure, and any adjustments made.
In June 2023, the European Commission already allocated €15.8 million to Greece and €1.2 million to Slovenia from the agricultural reserve for 2023, aimed at supporting member states affected by adverse climate events and macroeconomic challenges by January 31, 2024.