Brussels, 14/11/2003 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday the European Commission authorised Germany to pay, while respecting the Community rules governing state aid, national subsidies totally EUR 90 million to farmers and fish farmers in several German Lander. Thus, this will concern compensating the losses in revenue experienced by farmers following the extreme drought last summer. The aid will be financed by the Federal state and the Lander of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, and implemented during 2003 and 2004.
The Commission also authorised Germany to pay a national aid of EUR 40 million to the milk group Alois Müller GmbH&Co KG, to finance investments in the processing and marketing of milk and milk products in Leppersdorf (Saxony). This large scale investment project mainly aims to favour innovative processing methods and technologies, to promote and develop new products and better quality, and to reduce environmental pollution. The implementation of this project will end in December 2004.