The context of state aid to businesses affected by natural disasters in the recent period has been expanded to include agricultural holdings, in order to respond to the great needs that have been created in the primary sector after natural disasters and to cover fields that were previously covered by the State Financial Support framework, but also fields that are not covered by the due to the framework, such as land capital, the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection points out in its announcement.

With regard to the floods of September 2023 in Thessaly and other areas, agricultural holdings, as well as businesses, affected by the said flooding phenomena, according to a relevant decision of the Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection (Β΄7393) , Christos Triandopoulos, it is reminded that they can submit applications for the autopsy and the grant of state aid (law 4797/2021), until January 12, 2024, while during the following period they have the possibility to present the prescribed documents and other information to complete the file.

In addition, the ministry points out that applications from businesses are submitted to the relevant Regional Unit, while applications from agricultural holdings and livestock units are submitted – for the convenience of farmers – through ELGA correspondents and then forwarded to the relevant Regional Unit. The applications exclusively concern damage to productive elements of the agricultural holding and the livestock unit for which the competent body is the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection (such as stored products, fixed equipment, land capital, etc.) and do not concern damage to crop production and livestock capital covered by ELGA.

At the same time, it is noted that both businesses and agricultural holdings and livestock units, in order to complete the damage assessment process, should provide the relevant Regional Units with all the necessary supporting documents, such as photographic and video material, purchase or repair invoices, but and a list of the damages sustained with an estimated cost and any other appropriate means of assessing the damage.

Furthermore, it is emphasized that according to the relevant recommendation of the Government Committee for State Aid, the grant amounts to 70% of the estimated damage, as it results from the work of the State Aid Committees of the Region after control, autopsy and damage assessment. This is the largest percentage determined to date for a grant after a natural disaster, with the grant covering damage to business assets, in particular damage to mechanical equipment, raw materials, goods and damaged vehicles of the business, but also in land capital.

In particular, with regard to the damage to the land capital of agricultural holdings, as the ministry underlines, these are covered if the plot of land belongs to the agricultural holding as private property or there is a lease or usufructuary loan between spouses and parents-children, which was concluded on a date prior to the occurrence of the floods .

It should be noted that in the case of a lease or utility loan, the grant is paid on the condition that the beneficiary will repair the damage to the land capital, for the determination of which a relevant audit is carried out by the State Aid Committees of the Region. In the event of non-compliance with the restoration obligation, the part of the grant that concerns the damage to the land capital is returned to the Greek State as an amount unduly paid, with interest.

For the grant for damage to land capital and if the plot of land is under lease or utility loan, it is necessary to submit the following supporting documents to the relevant Regional Units:

• Responsible declaration of the beneficiary – lessee / user that he is committed to the restoration of the damage to the land capital and that he has taken note of and agrees with the terms and conditions of the grant.

• Responsible declaration of the owner that he consents to the payment of the grant to the lessee-user of the plot with the obligation to restore and to carry out the works to restore the damage, that he is not compensated by another body for the said damage and that there is no insurance policy. If there is an insurance policy, it must be presented.

• For agricultural holdings that are not subject to ELGA’s compulsory insurance, the electronic submission of the lease contract to AADE or the utility loan is required.

• For agricultural holdings covered by ELGA’s compulsory insurance if the lease – the utility loan results from the proof of submission of a single aid application to the IACS of the year of the year, no additional proof is required.

At the same time, the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection notes in its announcement that, in terms of plant capital, it has been activated – within the framework of the work of the Government Committee for State Aid – the scheme of state aid to cover the losses in plant capital of rural farms that have been affected by the extreme flooding phenomena of September 2023 in Thessaly and in other areas, which until now were either covered or not by the State Financial Support framework. This is a scheme which is implemented by the Directorate of State Aid of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection in collaboration with ELGA and the Ministry of Rural Development and Food.

The implementation of the state aid framework for agricultural holdings and livestock units is proceeding in a framework of cooperation with the region of Thessaly, but also the region of Central Greece, with the State Aid Committees of the Region continuing the project. The project, as far as Thessaly is concerned, is estimated to be intensified in the next period with (a) the increase in the number of officials involved in the Committees or in the Levels of State Aid after the extraordinary funding to the Region of Thessaly months ago, (b) the increase in the number of the (two-member) Levels of State Aid after the relevant provision of the relevant legislative framework, and (c) the restructuring of the project promotion structure by the Committees and Levels of State Aid, as well as the competent services of the Region of Thessaly.

Finally, the ministry emphasizes that the general secretariat of Natural Disaster Recovery and State Aid is taking all the interventions that are necessary and continues at a vigorous pace the cooperation with ELGA and the Regions, so that the procedures for the grant of those affected can be completed in a timely and efficient manner agricultural holdings from the extreme floods of September 2023 and to grant both the advance and the final grant in the context of the state aid of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection.