For the first time in 2017, the two so-called school schemes will be merged into one single scheme for simpler management at European and national level. The aim of the scheme remains the same, however - to increase the share of healthy food products in the diet of young people.
Of the €250 million agreed for 2017–2018, roughly €150 million will be allocated for fruit and vegetables and €100 million for milk. The money is used not only to provide fruit, vegetables and milk to schoolchildren but also to support teaching about agriculture and healthy diets, information about the scheme, monitoring and evaluation.
As well as agreement on the total allocation for the scheme, an indicative allocation of the funding to each member state was also made, based on the number of school-age children and, for the milk, also on the previous use of EU funds.
Countries have the freedom to request less or more, should additional funding be available, within the agreed overall budget. Under the new unified scheme, money that is allocated to a member state but not requested, for whatever reason, can be reallocated elsewhere within the scheme by the Commission.
The decision fixing the definitive allocation of EU funding to each member state was voted by the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets and should be adopted by the Commission around the end of March.
EU funding for school year 2017–2018
Member State |
Definitive allocation for school fruit and vegetables (€) |
Definitive allocation for school milk (€) |
Belgium |
3 367 930 |
1 650 729 |
Bulgaria |
2 677 109 |
1 167 367 |
Czech Republic |
4 082 903 |
1 842 407 |
Denmark |
2 386 393 |
1 606 402 |
Germany |
25 826 315 |
10 947 880 |
Estonia |
565 888 |
732 225 |
Ireland |
2 007 779 |
900 398 |
Greece |
3 218 885 |
1 550 685 |
Spain |
12 932 647 |
6 302 784 |
France |
17 990 469 |
17 123 194 |
Croatia |
1 720 946 |
800 354 |
Italy |
21 704 956 |
9 261 220 |
Cyprus |
390 044 |
400 177 |
Latvia |
813 091 |
745 497 |
Lithuania |
1 134 661 |
1 091 333 |
Luxembourg |
343 568 |
193 000 |
Hungary |
3 885 599 |
1 972 368 |
Malta |
372 747 |
144 750 |
Netherlands |
7 063 251 |
2 401 061 |
Austria |
2 946 591 |
1 278 933 |
Poland |
14 985 916 |
11 047 202 |
Portugal |
3 283 397 |
2 220 981 |
Romania |
6 866 848 |
10 865 578 |
Slovenia |
727 411 |
363 811 |
Slovakia |
2 185 291 |
1 020 425 |
Finland |
1 599 047 |
3 824 689 |
Sweden |
0 |
9 245 859 |
United Kingdom |
0 |
4 219 008 |
Total |
145 079 683 |
104 920 317 |
Via ec.europa.eu