The European Commission announced on Monday 4 September that it had agreed to allow national governments to make advance payments to farmers in order to help those affected by the difficult climatic conditions in the first part of 2017.
Thanks to this measure, ten member states will be able to increase the maximum of the advance payment from 16 October of this year: 70% for direct payments, rather than 50% under normal conditions, and 85% for area payments under the second pillar, rural development, rather than 75%.
Adverse climatic conditions in some member states – droughts and extremely hot or dry weather in some parts of Europe, and very low temperatures in spring combined with heavy rainfall in other parts – have affected agricultural activities in many countries and had a significant impact on farm revenues, the Commission says.
Direct payments and certain rural development payments are usually allocated by member states from 1 December until 30 June of the following year. The changes (increased advance payments) will benefit the ten member states most affected by the adverse climatic conditions – Belgium, Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal and Finland. The list of eligible countries could be extended by two or three, depending on the outcome of ongoing assessments by the Commission. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)