Commission mobilizes €50 million in emergency support to farmers in Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland and Romania

The Commission has adopted a proposal to provide nearly €50m from the agricultural reserve to support fruit, nuts and vegetable farmers in Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland and Romania who have recently suffered significant damages from adverse climatic events. Part of the common agricultural policy (CAP), this agricultural reserve stands ready to aid farmers in the face of market disruptions or exceptional events affecting production or distribution.

Following approval from the member states, the Commission's proposal allocates €7.4m to Bulgaria, €4.2m to Latvia, €1.1m to Lithuania, €10.8m to Hungary, €14.8m to Poland and €11.5m to Romania. These countries may complement this EU support by up to 200% with national funds.

Across all six member states, late frosts, which were often followed by hail or heavy rain, destroyed large parts of the fruit, vegetable, nuts and seed harvests, highlighting how much farming is being affected by extreme weather.

To ensure this exceptional measure is effective, it is important that beneficiaries rapidly receive the emergency financial support. Payments to farmers for the emergency financial support to Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland and Romania must be carried out before 30 April 2026.

Under the agricultural reserve as part of the current common agricultural policy (2023-2027), at least €450m per year is available to help farmers cope with such disruptions. With the Commission's latest simplification proposals, new crisis payments under CAP Strategic Plans will be possible for farmers facing natural disasters. In the proposal for the next CAP (2028-2034), the Commission intends to double in size the crisis reserve to ensure the resilience of European farmers and the agri-food sector from market disturbances.

More information is available in the press release.

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