23/12/2009 (Agence Europe) - Further to the green light given by the recent Agriculture Council (EUROPE 10042), the Council of Ministers of the EU on Tuesday 22 December formally adopted a decision allowing Hungary to pay state aid for the acquisition of agricultural land between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2013. Hungary's state aid will be for a total of 4000 million HUF (€14.6 million) and around 5,000 farmers are set to benefit. It will take the form of an interest subsidy for loans to farmers, to allow them to take out loans under favourable conditions to buy agricultural land of a total surface area of up to 300 hectares. Identical aid measures have already been granted to Poland (97 million), Lithuania (16 million) and Latvia (11 million). (L.C./transl.fl)