The European Commission will authorise member states to use unspent rural development funds to support farmers, forest owners and SMEs affected by extreme weather events, according to Euractiv.
Under normal rules, rural development funds are intended to support investment and long-term infrastructure and cannot be used as direct payments to farmers. However, according to the draft, the Commission will use them to introduce an emergency measure to “quickly address” losses to the food system and rural communities affected by natural disasters.
The measures are part of a wider package following European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s pledge to allocate billions of euros to regions affected by storm Boris in Central and Eastern Europe and forest fires in Portugal. Changes to the rules of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development will allow Poland, Romania, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Portugal to redirect up to 18 billion euros for emergency measures.
Other countries affected by natural disasters can also apply for flexibility and reprogramming. The exceptional measures of the rural development fund are similar to the emergency initiatives introduced in 2020 to support EU farmers and food producers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the draft, the new measures could be fully financed from the EU budget. The support, not exceeding €42,000 per recipient, would be disbursed in a lump sum until 31 December 2025.
