On 6 July 2026, the Council of the European Union adopted a legislative act amending EU agricultural regulations to provide exceptional temporary support under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and to allow more flexible direct payments and advance payments, in response to increased fertiliser prices caused by the Middle East crisis. The regulation, formally adopted at first reading, aims to deliver timely financial relief to farmers facing high input costs due to geopolitical instability.
The adopted text amends Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 to introduce a specific type of intervention for exceptional temporary support under the EAFRD, and permits adaptation of direct payments allocations for calendar year 2027. It also amends Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 to provide more flexible rules on payments of advances, enabling quicker disbursement of funds. The Council decided to derogate from the eight-week period for national parliaments' scrutiny under Protocol 1, streamlining the legislative process for rapid crisis response.
The regulation primarily benefits EU farmers, who will receive faster financial support to cope with elevated fertiliser costs. National authorities gain flexibility in administering payments but face administrative adjustments to implement the new rules. EU taxpayers may see increased expenditure from the EU budget for the temporary support. The agricultural input supply sector may experience stabilised demand as farmers' purchasing power is partially restored. The adoption sets a precedent for swift crisis-response amendments to EU agricultural policy, though no prior coverage of this file exists in recent months.
The legislative act will now be published in the Official Journal and enter into force shortly thereafter. The European Parliament had previously agreed to the text at first reading, completing the co-decision procedure.