European aid for five Member States affected by the influx of Ukrainian cereals
The Twenty-Seven approved on Monday aid of 100 million euros for five countries of the European Union (EU) affected by the influx of Ukrainian cereals, announced the European Commission, which detailed a separate aid plan. for the other twenty-two Member States. After 56 million euros allocated at the end of March, Brussels had proposed in mid-April to distribute an additional 100 million to farmers in five countries (Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia) destabilized by the massive import of cereals from Ukraine due to of the war. These imports saturate the silos and drive down the prices on these markets.
This envelope was subject to the agreement of the Member States, a dozen of which had requested “clarification” on the criteria for calculating and allocating funds. In detail, Brussels will allocate 39.33 million euros to Poland, 29.73 million to Romania, 15.93 million to Hungary, 9.77 million to Bulgaria and 5.24 million to Slovakia, a specified the European executive in a press release.
In addition, the Commission had authorized these five States at the beginning of June to extend until September 15 their restrictive measures aimed at blocking the marketing of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower on their territory, on condition that their transit to other countries. These measures had been strongly criticized by almost half of the Member States who were alarmed by a “differential treatment within the internal market” in a joint letter.
To overcome reluctance and secure agreement on the envelope of 100 million euros, Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski had promised in mid-June to activate for the twenty-two other Member States all the rest of the “agricultural crisis reserve”, the total amount of which was revised upwards, to 530 million euros for the year (compared to 450 million previously). The twenty-two States will thus be able to share 330 million euros to help their farmers face the crises of the moment: the indirect impact of the war in Ukraine, which has increased the prices of energy and fertilizers, but also the recent floods in Italy or the drought that is hitting the whole continent.
The Commission detailed Monday the distribution proposed for this envelope. Spain would be the first beneficiary (about 81.08 million euros), followed by Italy (60.55 million), France (53.1 million) and Germany (35.77 million). Each country will be authorized to triple European aid with national funding. This envelope of 330 million euros must still be formally approved at a future meeting of representatives of the Member States, specified the European executive.