Spain To Receive Around €81 Million From EU Agricultural Fund To Combat The Drought

Spain is to receive around €81 million from the EU’s agricultural reserve to try to deal with the consequences of the current drought.

The news was revealed this Monday, June 26, by Luis Planas, the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. “It is important that it reaches us and we can distribute it as soon as possible to farmers and agricultural sectors”, said the elated politician.

A total of 22 member states will be granted access to these EU funds, with Spain one of those most severely affected by the shortage of water.

It is believed that the package will be proposed during today’s meeting of ministers in Luxembourg. The money will come from the €250 million that remains from this year’s agricultural reserve.

Another €80 million could come from the EU budget

An additional €80 million is expected to be transferred from the EU budget. As a result, the European Commission plans to put a total pot of €330 million on the table, of which, Spain should receive 25 per cent.

Planas explained how Spain had already distributed more than €700 million to support farmers in the areas most affected by the drought and how the support that comes from Brussels will now be added to that.

A first batch of €56.3 million has already been given to Polish, Bulgarian and Romanian farmers. “As you will remember, we used €784 million from the Government of Spain, a part of it in direct aid, plus some in agricultural insurance bonuses, and others in liquidity measures”,  added the minister.

A second package could yet be approved

There is also a second package of €100 million that is still pending approval. This is intended for the five countries neighbouring Ukraine that are most affected by the increase in grain imports from Kyiv.

These nations include Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia. Previously, all five of them vetoed the entry of Ukrainian cereal so as not to harm national farmers.

“If confirmed at the time by the approval of this corresponding regulation, we would be the first recipient country of the European Union funding. It is excellent news that, obviously, today the first phase passes”, continued Planas.

He qualified though that final approval will be given “in the coming days or weeks”. The Government, in general, is optimistic he insisted. “We are going to continue working in the coming days and in the coming weeks to reach the maximum consensus in the distribution of these funds for our farmers and ranchers”, Planas concluded, as reported by 20minutos.es.