Drought slashes crop yields across Central Europe, prompting calls for EU support

The 2026 drought has caused significant agricultural losses across several Central European countries. Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria and Croatia have called on the EU to strengthen support for affected farmers, with Poland also backing the appeal.

In Slovakia, drought of varying intensity affected up to 90% of the country. Wheat and barley crops were among the hardest hit, while corn production in some areas fell by as much as 40%.

The impact was even more severe in Slovenia, where grain yields dropped by up to 50% in some regions and corn yields by 80–90%. Ljubljana is calling for faster support for farmers and a dedicated EU fund to finance irrigation, water retention and water-saving technologies.

Poland has also reported drought-related losses. Bean crops in the east of the country were damaged, reducing supplies, while orchards were also affected.

The countries are calling on the EU to increase its agricultural reserve and provide greater flexibility in the use of Common Agricultural Policy instruments and state aid. Lower harvests in the affected regions could further influence supplies and prices of some agricultural products.

Tags: weather conditions, corn, barley, EU, wheat, drought