Estonia Fails to Secure Larger EU Crisis Aid for Farmers
Estonia did not succeed in obtaining a larger share of EU crisis aid for farmers, as a vote on allocating €540 million from the agricultural reserve went ahead despite Estonia's abstention over the distribution key.
A vote was recently held in Brussels on the use of €540 million from the agricultural crisis reserve. Estonia and like-minded countries failed to block the allocation scheme, which they opposed.
The Middle East crisis has driven up prices of fertilizers and other goods, harming European farmers. The European Commission proposed crisis aid, but when calculating shares, it used direct payment ceilings, which are among the lowest in Estonia.
Estonia abstained from the vote, but the scheme was adopted. “We abstained because we assessed the allocation key as inappropriate. Since our direct payment levels are lower than the EU average and our dependence on imported fertilizer is very high, our share could have been larger,” said Madis Pärtel, Deputy Secretary General at the Ministry of Rural Affairs.
Estonia was allocated €3.1 million and can add up to 200 percent from the national budget. However, the funds must be paid out by February 2027. Pärtel noted that the ministry will determine exact damages with agricultural organizations, which will take time.
“We will try to formulate a decision with the minister and the government in the coming weeks. But the state budget situation is not very good, so we will assess possibilities. It is too early to say whether the state will add extra funds,” Pärtel said.
He added that the grain sector has been hit hardest, but the full impact will only be clear after the harvest and growing season.
