The European Commission has announced that it is extending by six months the period of validity of the temporary measures that allow the countries of the European Union to pay state aid to farmers affected by market shocks, DPA reported.
The decision means that governments will be able to give struggling agricultural companies up to 280,000 euros ($299,187) in aid until the end of 2024. The equivalent threshold for the fisheries and aquaculture sectors is €335,000.
The EU’s strict state aid rules generally prevent member states from giving their companies an advantage over their competitors as a safeguard against anti-competitive market practices.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, however, the EC decided to temporarily relax these rules to help the European economy withstand the shock of sanctions and Russian counter-sanctions.
The Commission is now gradually withdrawing these temporary measures, with most of them expiring at the end of June.
The announced extension of the measures applies only to the agriculture and fisheries sector. This means that these two sectors will continue to benefit from softer state aid rules until the end of December 2024, while the measures for other industries are due to end on 30 June.
However, specific provisions aimed at reducing Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels will continue until the end of 2025.
Amid angry protests by farmers over the past few months, EU politicians have stressed the need to reduce the burden on the agricultural sector.
#extends #months #measures #support #farmers #Agro #Plovdiv
