Karditsa: new decision for flood victims

A new decision admitting flood-hit farms in the prefecture of Karditsa to the grant scheme has been signed by the Deputy Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Konstantinos Katsafados. It is the seventh such decision for this particular prefecture, an indication that the process is advancing gradually, as the files are checked and completed in batches. Admission is made on the basis of a relevant document from the Regional Unit of Karditsa, which collects the details of the beneficiaries and forwards them to the competent ministry. The issuing of decisions in instalments is explained by the time required to check each file and to cross-check the damage declared.

The decision concerns damage caused by the floods of the period 4 to 30 September 2023 in areas of the Regions of Thessaly and Central Greece, that is, by storm Daniel and its aftermath. The aid scheme is set out in a joint ministerial decision by the ministers of National Economy and Finance, of Rural Development and Food and of Climate Crisis, published in the Government Gazette in February 2025. The individual grants are awarded on the basis of articles 4 and 7 of law 4797/2021, taking into account the provisions of articles 8 and 9, while the European regulation on state aid in the agricultural sector also applies. Admission to a state aid scheme requires compatibility with European law, which is why the relevant decisions refer explicitly to the Union’s regulations.

Karditsa was among the areas hit hardest by Daniel, with extensive destruction of crops, farm machinery, stored produce and building installations. Almost three years on, recovery is still under way, while the delay in paying out the aid has been the subject of repeated interventions by farmers’ associations and by local government. Each new admission decision adds beneficiaries to the framework already approved, without changing the terms and rates of the aid or extending the time range of the damage covered. The farms admitted receive a grant for the restoration of fixed assets and equipment, which does not cover the whole of the loss of income.

The text of the decision contains a typographical inconsistency as regards the number of the joint ministerial decision, which is given at one point as 1476 and at another as 11476, with the same date and the same publication gazette. It is evidently a clerical error that does not affect the substance, but it does need confirmation by those concerned before any appeals are drafted. Beneficiaries are informed through the services of the Regional Unit of Karditsa, while payment is made once the relevant checks have been completed. More in the Economy section. The process is expected to continue with further decisions on the remaining files still pending.