European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen is in Portugal on Tuesday to survey the damage caused by severe storms that battered the country in early February, expressing the European Commission’s solidarity with affected farmers and producers.
The Luxembourgish politician is visiting regions along the Tagus, Mondego, and Lis rivers, as well as the area around the Pinhal de Leiria forest, where heavy flooding and high winds have left many agricultural operations with substantial losses. During his visit, Hansen is scheduled to meet with Portugal’s Agriculture Minister, José Manuel Fernandes.
The storms, which struck at the beginning of the month, caused widespread destruction across parts of the country, with farmers facing significant damage to crops, infrastructure, and equipment.
In a statement released by his office, Hansen emphasised the importance of witnessing the situation first-hand and reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to supporting those impacted:
“For me, being on the ground to assess the damage and listen to impacted farmers is a necessity. When one country of our Union suffers, we all suffer. I want to say to farmers: the European Commission is by your side and will support you. In my meetings, I will discuss also with the authorities the possibilities that exist for relief and support. First, we grieve and then we rebuild, together.”
The Commissioner described the visit as a necessary step to assess the extent of the destruction and explore what forms of assistance the Commission could provide.
