Murcia under water after catastrophic floods
Spain, a key agricultural hub in Europe, faced catastrophic flooding on the 18th of March 2025 due to an intense storm system. The region of Murcia was hit hardest, with torrential rainfall submerging thousands of hectares of farmland. These floods resulted in widespread devastation in the fruit and vegetable sector, which is crucial not only for the Spanish economy but also for European supply chains. The floods followed a prolonged drought in 2024, exacerbating the region's vulnerability and highlighting the increasing unpredictability of extreme weather patterns in the Mediterranean.
EU Financial Aid Announced for Farmers
A month ago, on February 19, 2025, the European Commission announced a financial aid package of €98.6 million to support farmers in Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, and Hungary affected by severe climatic events and natural disasters since spring 2024. Spain, the most affected country, will receive €68 million, with the remaining funds distributed among the other four countries. The aid aims to mitigate the economic losses suffered by farmers who have experienced significant declines in agricultural production and income.
The Rising Frequency of Flooding in the Mediterranean and EU
Between 1980 and 2022, Europe recorded 5,582 flood-related fatalities and 702 deaths attributed to wildfires across 32 countries. Currently, approximately one in eight Europeans resides in areas susceptible to river floods, and around 30% of the population in southern Europe faces persistent water stress.
More specifically, farmers across the Mediterranean have been facing more frequent and severe floods in recent years, causing large-scale yield losses and long-term soil degradation.
- Spain: The country experienced catastrophic flooding in 2023 (Valencia region) and 2024 (Andalusia and Catalonia - storm DANA). Thousands of hectares of citrus (mandarins, clementines, and especially Navelina oranges), persimmons, vegetables, vines, and other crops have been lost, according to the Agricultural Association of Young Farmers (AVA-ASAJA). This significantly impacted the price of oranges, affecting the global orange juice market and northern EU countries, like the UK, that were covering ¼ of their needs in citrus importing from Spain and had to import oranges from third countries outside the EU.
- Italy: Severe floods hit Emilia-Romagna in 2023 and Veneto in 2024, destroying large swathes of cereals, vineyards, and olive groves (over 5,000 farms were submerged, according to CNN).
- Greece: Thessaly plain, contributing approximately 12.2% to Greece's agricultural gross value added, was devastated by floods in both 2020 and 2023 (Storm Ianos and Daniel), with thousands of hectares of cotton, wheat, and vegetable fields submerged. The flood also caused significant livestock losses (over 200,000 animals) and had a long-term effect on soil health.
These events have had direct consequences on agricultural markets. In Spain and Italy, the destruction of citrus orchards has led to an increase in orange prices across Europe. The same applies to olive oil, as Spanish and Italian olive groves have been hit hard by extreme weather conditions. Vegetable prices have also fluctuated due to shortages, particularly in tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce, which are heavily reliant on Mediterranean production.
Government and EU Financial Assistance
Over the past 2 years, in response to these devastating floods, both national governments and the European Union allocated substantial financial aid to compensate farmers for losses due to extreme weather events.
- 2023: The European Commission proposed €430 million in emergency funding to farmers across the EU.
- 2024-2025: €98.6 million was announced to be allocated for climate-related damages in Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, and Hungary. Each of the 5 member states should distribute the financial aid to the affected farmers by the end of September 2025.
The question thought remains. Are the financial assistance the farmers receive sufficient to compensate farmers for the actual losses, and for how long can we continue with this strategy).
Greece, Italy, and Spain have been among the main recipients of financial aid, though farmers often report that compensation covers only a fraction of actual losses. For example, in Greece, the 2023 floods in Thessaly caused over €1.5 billion in damages, yet the government and EU support amounted to less than 40% of the total losses. Similarly, Spanish farmers affected by the 2023 Valencia floods received compensation that covered only half of their estimated damages.
Challenges in Compensation and Recovery
While EU funding provides some relief, it is clear that financial assistance alone is not sufficient to ensure the resilience of European farmers. Some key challenges include:
- Delays in Payments: Farmers often wait months, if not years, to receive compensation, making recovery efforts difficult.
- Insufficient Coverage: Current aid packages frequently cover only a portion of the actual economic losses suffered by farmers.
- Market Disruptions: Beyond immediate financial losses, destroyed crops lead to supply shortages and increased volatility in food prices.
The Need for Policy Change: Prevention and Sustainable Support
Given the rising frequency of extreme weather events, the EU must shift from reactive compensation to proactive prevention. This includes:
- Investing in Climate-Resilient Agriculture: Encouraging sustainable farming practices that reduce vulnerability to floods and droughts.
- Strengthening Risk Management Tools: Expanding access to insurance schemes and emergency funds that can provide quicker financial support.
- Improving Infrastructure: Enhancing water management systems, such as flood barriers and drainage systems, to protect agricultural land.
- Reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): Allocating more funds to resilience-building initiatives rather than post-disaster compensation.
Without these structural changes, Mediterranean farmers will continue to bear the brunt of increasingly extreme weather patterns, with financial aid only serving as a temporary fix rather than a long-term solution. The floods of 2025 in Spain serve as yet another urgent reminder of the need for immediate and comprehensive policy reform in European agriculture.
Sources and further reading
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_540
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/21/europe/floods-ruin-crops-livestock-italy-intl/index.html
https://www.government.gov.gr/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/HVA-Fact-Finding-Mission-Report-on-Thessaly-Post-Disaster-Remediation.pdf
https://nhess.copernicus.org/preprints/nhess-2023-173/nhess-2023-173.pdf
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