A €400 million support scheme to compensate Romanian farmers for damages suffered due to the severe drought between September 2023 and August 2024 has been approved by the European Commission.

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 in Romania must have lost more than 30% of their autumn 2023 – summer 2024 crops as a result of the drought.

The aid provided to farmers will take the form of direct grants. The maximum amount of aid is €200/ha for a 100% loss, not exceeding 30% of the eligible costs. The scheme will run until December 31, 2024.

The commission approved the scheme under EU state aid rules, and found that the scheme is necessary and appropriate to compensate Romanian farmers for the losses incurred due to this "extreme climatic event".

Romania is the country with the highest number of farmers in the EU, amounting to almost 3.5 million. It is the biggest producer of cereals in the EU and the largest producer of sunflower seeds, according to the commission.

Meanwhile, the commission approved a €1 billion scheme to support Italian farmers affected by the flood and landslide events in May 2023 in the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Marche.

The scheme will provide investment support aimed at restoring the agricultural production potential damaged, and compensate companies active in primary agricultural production, processing and marketing of agricultural products.

The commission found that the floods and landside events in the regions were classified as a “natural disaster”, and that the scheme serves only to compensate for the damages effectively caused by the events.