As announced by the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food, the European Commission approved for Greece through the 2024 Agricultural Reserve, the amount of 43.1 million euros, noting that this is almost three times the EU’s support to our country, while around 8.6 million euros were approved for Slovenia, given the disasters that the two member states suffered. According to the EU, the two countries can supplement this amount through national funds, up to an additional 200%.

As the decision states “the significant damages caused by these events to agricultural producers and the consequent loss of income for affected farmers in Greece and Slovenia put the economic viability of agricultural holdings at risk.

The amounts presented today take into account the estimates of agricultural damage from Slovenia and Greece, as well as the respective weight of these two countries in the EU agricultural sector, based on their shares of direct CAP support.

In addition, the need to maintain sufficient resources within the agricultural reserve to deal with possible crises during the remaining months of 2023 and 2024 was considered.

The national authorities of Greece and Slovenia will immediately distribute aid to farmers to compensate for financial losses, with payments expected to be made by 31 May 2024.

Both countries should notify the Commission of the implementation details, including the criteria for calculating the aid, the intended impact of the measure, the evaluation, as well as the measures taken to avoid distortions of competition and overcompensation. The two countries can complement this EU support by up to 200% with national funds».