The European Commission has proposed flood support measures worth €51.7m to directly support Greek and Slovenian farmers affected by natural disasters.

Coming from the agricultural reserve 2024, €43.1m will be allocated to Greece and €8.6m to Slovenia.

In August, Slovenia recorded extraordinary amounts of rainfall and torrential storms that resulted in landslides and floodings.

Meanwhile, throughout August and September, Greece faced unprecedented wildfires, followed by severe floodings, severely affecting the agricultural landscape in the affected regions.

The significant damage caused by those events to agricultural producers and the resulting loss of income for the affected farmers in Greece and Slovenia endanger the economic viability of agricultural holdings, the Commission said.

Assessments

The amounts proposed take into account the assessments of agricultural damage by Slovenia and Greece, along with the respective weight of these two countries in the EU's agricultural sector, on the basis of their shares of CAP direct payments. Additionally, the need to keep sufficient resources available within the agricultural reserve to address potential crises in the remaining months of 2023 and into 2024 was also considered.

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

The two countries can complement this EU support by up to 200% of national funds.

Draft measure

The Commission's draft measure, including the principles and methodology for granting support, will be discussed in a transparent way with member states, which will vote on the implementing regulation at a meeting of the Committee for the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets.

If approved, it will be adopted and enter into force rapidly so that Greek and Slovenian national administrations can implement it without delay.

Previous funds

In June 2023, the European Commission allocated €15.8m and €1.2m to Greece and Slovenia respectively. These funds came from the agricultural reserve 2023, which aims to support member states affected by adverse climatic events and macroeconomic challenges in the period up to 31 January 2024.