Spain requests the activation of the CAP crisis reserve to cope with the effects of the DANA

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, talks with one of his EU counterparts

In the minister's view, the agricultural reserve needs to have a larger budget, given the challenges it faces, and be more flexible in its implementation.

This is what Planas said during the EU's Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels, where he began his speech by expressing his solidarity with all those affected by the DANA of 29 October in Spain, and thanking the other European ministers for the support they have given him since the tragedy occurred.

"This extreme phenomenon has not only claimed the lives of more than 200 citizens, but has left an unprecedented human and economic impact", especially in the province of Valencia, he lamented.

Luis Planas explained that on-site assessments are already shaping an initial estimate of the agricultural damage. "The magnitude of the disaster is enormous, and Spain needs the urgent support and solidarity of the EU to restore normal agricultural and livestock production as soon as possible," he said.

He confirmed that he had already written to the Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, requesting the mobilisation of the CAP agricultural reserve, adding that he would present a detailed report on the quantification of the impact of the drought in the coming weeks. "I trust that the European Commission will respond sensitively, as it has always done," he added.

In addition to the funds from the crisis reserve, the Government of Spain has also asked Brussels for other measures such as the temporary reprogramming of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and other European packages aimed at recovering productive potential damaged by disasters.

Maintenance of fishing effort in the Mediterranean

The council also kicked off the negotiation of Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and fishing quotas, which traditionally takes place at the end of the year.

The exchange of views on the European Commission's proposals followed a tripartite meeting between the heads of fisheries of Spain, France and Italy, who agreed to defend the maintenance of fishing efforts in the Mediterranean by 2025, as their fleets cannot assume additional reductions in fishing days, given that they are at the limit of their economic profitability. "We are committed to selectivity as an alternative tool to cutting fishing days," Planas said.

Spain, which has the largest fleet in the EU, has also proposed maintaining the quota for southern hake, pollack and Norway lobster in the Gulf of Cadiz in the EU's Atlantic exclusive management waters.

Non official translation