Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Teresa Ribera has announced that the European Commission approved a €1.5 billion Spanish state aid package for farmers and livestock breeders hit by winter floods in Andalusia and Extremadura.
Ribera, a close ally of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and a fellow member of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), shared the decision on May 11, six days before the region of Andalusia goes to the polls on an all-important election.
The aid package covers damage to crops, equipment, greenhouses and infrastructure caused by storms between November 2025 and February 2026.
It stretches across more than 100,000sqkm and is designed to prevent farm closures in two regions where agriculture is a political and economic lifeline.
It will take the form of direct grants covering up to 100 per cent of eligible costs, which include material damage and loss of income resulting from the total or partial destruction as a result of the floods.
Ribera, the European Commissioner for Competition, called it rapid and necessary support in the face of rising climate disasters.
She said there was an increasing frequency of natural disasters that pose a significant threat to agricultural production and food security and that compensatory measures are critical to protect the agricultural sector and to ensure its long-term sustainability.
Payments will be made by Spanish authorities and can run until December 2026.
Spanish media immediately highlighted the calendar, noting the approval landed squarely inside the official campaign period, a move that sits uneasily with Spanish electoral law restricting public announcements that could influence voters.
Observers noted that the EC could have waited a week to make the announcement, especially given the fact that the payments will happen throughout 2026.
EC spokesperson Ricardo Cardoso has insisted to reporters of Euractiv on May 11 that the decision is purely technical under European Union state aid rules and has no link to the Andalusian election.
People’s Party (PP) officials in Andalusia, the main beneficiary region, described the timing as “suspicious” even while welcoming the funds.
They argue the dossier could have been cleared months earlier instead of arriving in the final frantic week of campaigning.
Andalusia is a historic PSOE stronghold now run by the centre-right PP and a key test for Sánchez’s national government that is mired in scandals and allegations of corruption.
Spain’s Government has diverted at least €8.5 billion more in European Union funds, originally earmarked for the country’s recovery plan, to cover pensions, the minimum living income and other social spending. https://t.co/SHg7Bq26VH
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) May 8, 2026
