Commission approves €400 million Romanian State aid scheme to compensate farmers affected by severe drought

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €400 million (RON 2 billion) Romanian scheme to compensate farmers for damages suffered due to the severe drought in the period between September 2023 and August 2024.

The scheme is open to agricultural producers of 39 selected crops (such as wheat, triticale, rye, barley, oats, rapeseed, peas, sunflower and maize) that were directly affected by the severe drought. To benefit from the aid, the agricultural producers must have lost more than 30% of their autumn 2023 – summer 2024 crops as a result of the drought. Under the scheme, the aid will take the form of direct grants. The maximum amount of aid is €200 (RON 1,000) per hectare for a 100% loss, not exceeding 30%