Brussels approves EUR 16 million aid package for Hungary

The European Commission has approved EUR 15.93 million for Hungarian farmers in compensation for storage costs and unsold grain as a consequence of European Union measures affecting Ukrainian farm products, the agriculture minister said in Luxembourg on Monday.

The European Commission has approved EUR 100 million in support for the farmers of five member states that have “stood together to protect the internal markets from the negative effects of Ukrainian grain imports”, István Nagy said at a meeting of EU agriculture ministers.

Though the sum itself is a “symbolic gesture”, it is a result that should be appreciated in the future as well, Nagy said.

He said the decision on the support clearly demonstrated that it had been worth it for Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to stand up for their interests. He added that it also showed that the EC acknowledged the extra burdens on the farmers in those countries which had to be mitigated.

The meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council is set to continue on Tuesday with more talks on agricultural trade with Ukraine, Nagy said. The Hungarian, Bulgarian, Polish, Romanian and Slovak ministers will meet before the session so that they can continue to implement joint action plans and protect their countries’ farmers, he added.