EU RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY

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EU RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY

• Half of the population of the 25 EU member states
  live in rural areas
• Therefore rural development is a very important
  policy area and strengthening this policy area
  has become an EU priority.
• In September 2005, a fundamental reform of rural
  development policy for 2007-2013 was adopted.

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Agenda 2000

• Initially rural development policy was
  essentially sectoral with limited territorial
  aspects
• Agenda 2000 introduced RD policy as second pillar
  of CAP and brought rural development under a
  single regulation to apply to whole of EU
• Offered a menu of 22 measures which member
  states can choose from according to which best
  suits their rural development needs (flexibility
  of programming)
• Decentralisation of responsibility-thus
  strengthening subsidiarity and partnership

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Agenda 2000 contd.

• Objectives
• (1) To create a stronger agricultural and
  forestry sector, the latter recognised for the
  first time as an integral part of the rural
  development policy
• (2) To improve the competitiveness of rural
  areas
• (3) To maintain the environment and preserve
  Europe's rural heritage.
• MTR- promote animal welfare and quality and
  provision of more EU funds through reduction in
  direct payments

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3 MAJOR POLICY OBJECTIVES 2007-2013

• 1) Increasing the competitiveness of the
  agriculture sector (15)
• 2) Enhancing the environment and countryside
  through support for land management (25)
• 3) Enhancing the quality of life in rural areas
  and promoting diversification of economic
  activities (15)
• In addition to this
• Integrate the Leader Community Initiative
  (locally- based, bottom-up approaches to rural
  development)
• Simplification through a single funding and
  programming framework

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2007-2013

• One single rural development fund
• One single programming system
• One single set of financial rules
• One single control system
• Simpler!

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Main Differences

• 2007-2013 period focuses on jobs, growth and
  sustainability
• Menu of options enlarged
• New single European Agricultural Fund for RD est.
  to fund all RD measures (in place of Guarantee
  and Guidance funding under Agenda 2000)
• Simplifies delivery of policy- more coherent
• Agenda 2000 was more focused on the environment,
  food quality and the vitality of rural life.
• It was heavily farm based (90 of expenditure
  whereas viability of rural areas only 10
  expenditure)