The European Commission has approved a proposal to provide almost €50 million from agricultural reserves to support farmers producing fruit, nuts and vegetables in Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. Farmers in these Member States have recently suffered significant damage from adverse weather events.
After approval by the Member States, the Commission proposal distributes the funds as follows:
7.4 million euros for Bulgaria,
10.8 million euros for Hungary,
4.2 million euros for Latvia,
1.1 million euros for Lithuania,
14.8 million euros for Poland,
11.5 million euros for Romania.
These countries can complement EU assistance with national funds up to 200% of the allocated amount.
In all six Member States, late frosts – followed in many cases by hail or heavy rainfall – destroyed large parts of the fruit, vegetable, nut and seed crops.
Examples of climate damage:
Bulgaria experienced unusual weather in the spring of 2025, starting with warm temperatures in February, causing fruit trees to bloom very early. Then, frosts in March and April damaged many crops, especially almonds, apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, plums, and walnuts.
Latvia experienced warm weather in April, followed by frost and heavy rainfall, destroying fruit trees, berries, vegetables and seed crops such as peas, pumpkins and flax.
Lithuania experienced a similar problem: warm weather initially accelerated plant growth, but frosts in April and May severely damaged apples, raisins, berries, cherries, pears, and plums.
Hungary was hit by frost in April and May, which hit almost the entire country, damaging apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, pears and quinces.
Poland experienced long periods of frost in April and May, followed by strong hailstorms, which damaged berries, raisins, sour cherries and cucumbers.
Romania was also affected by late frosts, which froze buds and flowers, causing major losses in fruit production.
Payments and deadlines
To ensure that this exceptional measure is effective, it is important that beneficiaries receive the emergency financial assistance quickly. Payments to farmers in Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland and Romania must be made before 30 April 2026.
scheme
Under the agricultural reserve of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2023-2027, at least €450 million per year is available to help farmers facing market disturbances or exceptional events affecting production or distribution.
Given the increasing frequency of extreme climate events, the Commission has stressed the importance of strengthening risk management tools and promoting their use across the EU, as well as taking proactive measures to address root causes and improve the sustainability of farms in the medium term.
With the Commission's latest simplification proposals, new crisis payments under the CAP Strategic Plans will be possible for farmers facing natural disasters. In its proposal for the next CAP (2028-2034), the Commission aims to double the crisis reserve to support the resilience of European farmers and the agri-food sector to market disruptions.
