EC to rule on compensation for Polish drought-hit farmers

EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan announced on Wednesday that a decision could be adopted on 7 September during a meeting of agricultural ministers of all EU countries.

"I have not seen the report from the Polish minister of agriculture. I assume it is now being analysed by our professionals. I look forward to this report, along with a full assessment of the situation of the drought in Poland," Hogan said at a press conference in Brussels.

He noted that the opportunity to talk about it with Polish Minister of Agriculture Marek Sawicki will arise on 7 September at a meeting of EU agriculture ministers. The meeting was convened earlier under the Luxembourg Presidency in response to the crisis in the dairy sector in several EU countries.

"I have a very good relationship with the Polish minister of agriculture. We have available funds for emergencies, such as droughts or floods in the EU, but to use them there must be a certain level of difficulty in a country,” Hogan said.

Poland is only one of several EU countries to have come forward recently to the European Commission in connection with the difficult situation of its agricultural producers. Others include Bulgaria and Lithuania as well as within the Visegrad Group Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. (jh/rk)