Minister of Agriculture Virginija Baltraitienė said she conveyed the request at the meeting with the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos, and it should be soon considered by the European Commission.
“We will start paying direct payments for 2013 in October and based on the regulations up to 50 percent of an advance has to be paid. We have asked to increase the figure to 70 percent specifically for Lithuania. This would provide farms with working capital. The request was submitted today. The commissioner mentioned that our country was the first to ask for this and there is an opportunity that the aid will be granted. This is not a compensation for damages, but an increase of a portion of an advance,” said the agriculture minister.
Baltraitienė also informed that as the European Union was flooded with baseless compensation applications due to the Russian embargo, the European commissioner will ask all EU member states to submit new revised analysis on economic damage. Lithuania will do this as soon as possible.
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