13/07/26 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 13 July, the EU Council ministers formally adopted a regulation introducing targeted measures intended to help European farmers cope with the sharp rise in fertiliser prices (see EUROPE 13904/12). The measures include: a new liquidity scheme under rural development to provide crisis support; the possibility for Member States to make direct payments to farmers earlier; and the possibility of adjusting direct payment allocations for 2027. The new liquidity scheme can be co-financed up to 65% by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and by mobilising unused funds that would otherwise have been lost. Member States may add national funding of up to 200%. After its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, the regulation will enter into force the following day. (LC)