A €110 million support scheme has been approved by the European Commission to support Austrian primary agricultural producers.
The financial support has been approved in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, under the state aid Temporary Crisis Framework, adopted by the Commission in March.
Commenting, executive vice-president Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “The agricultural sector has been hit particularly hard by the price increase of energy and other input costs caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the related sanctions.
“This €110 million scheme will enable Austria to support farmers affected by the current geopolitical crisis. We continue to stand with Ukraine and its people.
“At the same time, we continue working closely with member states to ensure that national support measures can be put in place in a timely, coordinated and effective way, while protecting the level playing field in the Single Market.”
This Austrian fund follows on from supports also pledged for Slovenia which received approval for a €2.1 million support scheme; and the Czech Republic which has had €20.2 million approved.
Swedish farmers received approval for €145 million aimed at the livestock sector and greenhouse production.
There, livestock producers are entitled to receive a fixed-aid amount per animal, while for greenhouse production, the aid is calculated on the size of the area used to grow produce, including fruits, berries and vegetables (between February-June 2022).