Commission amends rules on de minimis aid for the agricultural sector
Today, the European Commission (Commission) has adopted an amendment to the Agricultural de minimis Regulation. This regulation exempts small amounts of support in the agricultural sector from state aid control since they are deemed to have no impact on competition and trade in the single market. The revised regulation will take effect three days after publication in the Official Journal and remain valid until 31 December 2032.
Key changes include:
- Increased de minimis ceiling: The maximum support per beneficiary over three years has been raised from EUR 25,000 to EUR 50,000 to reflect inflation and market changes.
- Higher national caps: National caps, based on agricultural output, have been increased from 1.5% to 2% of national agricultural output, with a reference period extended to 2012-2023. This allows to take account of the increased value of agricultural production particularly over the last years, thereby increasing the national cap for all Member States.
- Removal of sectorial cap: The previous ban to grant de minimis aid exceeding 50% of the national cap to the same product sector has been removed.
- Mandatory central register: A central register for de minimis aid is now mandatory to improve transparency and reduce administrative burdens, particularly for small farms.
- Extended validity: The revised Regulation will now last until 31 December 2032.
This amendment coincides with proposals to strengthen farmers’ positions in the EU through revisions to related agricultural regulations.
For more information see PR.