Member States have approved a proposal from the European Commission to mobilise €98,6 million from the agricultural reserve to support farmers in Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia and Hungary. These countries have been impacted by exceptional adverse climatic events and natural disasters in 2024. €68 million of support will be distributed to Spain, €16,2 million to Hungary, €6,7 million to Croatia, €4,2 million to Latvia and €3,5 million to Cyprus.

This measure is aimed at supporting farmers in these countries who have experienced a loss in production, and, as a consequence, a loss of income. The large sums of financial support demonstrates the EU's continued solidarity with affected farmers, and can be complemented by up to 200% of national funds.

Spain experienced a rain deficit and extreme heat during the summer of 2024, leading to drought. This was followed by heavy rainfall and devastating floods in the Valencia region in late October and early November, causing hundreds of casualties. As a result, the production of fruits and vegetables, wine and olives were heavily impacted. Cyprus experienced low rainfall and high temperatures in the first half of 2024, leading to dry conditions that affected the production of olives, fruits and vegetables. Latvia, on the other hand, suffered from record-low winter temperatures and heavy summer rain, affecting its agriculture sector. Croatia and Hungary faced extremely high temperatures and drought during summer of 2024, affecting maize, sunflower, soya, sugar beet, fruit, potatoes, and wine production.

National authorities are responsible for distributing the aid by 30 September 2025 and making sure that farmers are the ultimate beneficiaries. By 31 May 2025, the five Member States will have to notify the Commission about the details of the funds’ implementation. This notification includes details on the intended impact of the measures, the forecasts for payments broken down per month until the end of September, the level of additional national support to be provided, as well as the actions taken to avoid distortion of competition and overcompensation. 

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 concerned Member States can implement it without delay.

A new Vision for Agriculture and Food

The financial support comes after the Commission presented its Vision for Agriculture and Food, an ambitious roadmap on the future of farming and food in Europe. This new roadmap sets the stage for an attractive, competitive, resilient, future-oriented and fair agri-food system for current and future generations of farmers and agri-food operators.

The Vision outlines four priority areas:

• An attractive sector: farming must have the necessary stability to encourage young people to enter the profession, through fair incomes and better-targeted public support.
• A competitive and resilient sector: the EU will continue to prioritise food security and sovereignty, where trade negotiations and agreements will protect the interests of European farmers.
• A future-proof sector: the vision recognises the need to reconcile climate action with food security, where farmers should be rewarded for adopting nature-friendly practices
• Fair living and working conditions in rural areas: the Commission wants to ensure that rural areas remain vibrant, functional, and deeply linked to the EU's cultural and natural heritage. 

Later in 2025, the Commission will propose a comprehensive simplification package for the current agricultural legislative framework (Common Agricultural Policy), along with an EU digital strategy for agriculture to support the transition to digital-ready farming.