European Parliament rejects proposal to double EU agricultural crisis fund

The European Parliament has rejected a proposal to double the European Union’s agricultural crisis fund from 450 million euros to 900 million euros in next year’s budget. Csaba Dömötör submitted the motion as a member of the Patriots group.

Across the bloc, governments are turning to separate national programs to support farmers. Greece is allocating 160 million euros for livestock farmers and cotton and wheat producers. Romania has launched a 54.4 million euro program for cattle and buffalo keepers, while Portugal set aside 20 million euros in grants to offset energy and fertilizer costs. Slovenia is also providing tens of millions of euros to farmers affected by drought and rising costs.

The European Commission has approved a further 500 million euro support program for businesses in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region that suffered natural damage. These national measures must be distinguished from funding drawn from EU agricultural reserves.

Hungary could receive 10.8 million euros, roughly 4 billion forints, from the EU agricultural crisis reserve. That money is earmarked for corn producers who suffered major yield losses during the 2025 drought. It does not cover this year’s damage and does not represent new additional funding from Hungary’s budget.

The Hungarian government has focused its response to this year’s crisis on earlier and larger advance payments of agricultural support, along with a voluntary moratorium on capital repayments. The moratorium is not automatic, however, because farmers must reach individual agreements with their banks, and interest payments continue. Agriculture Minister Szabolcs Bóna described the sector’s situation as a “huge sea storm,” citing historic drought, a deteriorating international market environment and the difficult financial position of many farms. He said stronger domestic demand could also help, suggesting that consumers spending an additional 5,000 forints a month on higher-value food made from Hungarian ingredients would provide meaningful support.

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A huge sea storm