European Union member states have backed a European Commission proposal to release €21.5 million in emergency funding for farmers in Bulgaria, Estonia and Hungary hit by severe weather during the 2025 growing season.
Bulgaria would receive €7.4 million, Estonia €3.3 million and Hungary €10.8 million from the EU’s agricultural reserve, the Commission informed on Monday.
The payments can be topped up by national funding of up to 200% of the EU amounts.
The Commission said farmers in Bulgaria faced severe drought and heatwaves from mid-June to late August, reducing sunflower and maize production.
In Estonia, spring frosts followed by a cold, wet and unstable season damaged crops including spring wheat, barley, peas and rapeseed, as well as potatoes, fruit and vegetables.
Hungarian farmers were affected by extreme heat and water shortages between June and August, with crops including sweetcorn, melons, sorghum and maize impacted.
When the money must reach farmers
National authorities must distribute the aid by 30 September 2026 and ensure farmers are the final beneficiaries, according to the Commission.
The Commission said it will formally adopt the measure after member states’ endorsement, and it will take effect the day after it is published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
The funding comes from the EU’s agricultural reserve, set at €450 million a year under the bloc’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for 2023–2027 — the EU framework for supporting farming — to respond to market disruption or exceptional events affecting production or distribution.
