Commissie plattelandsontwikkeling en lidstaten akkoord over geld voor financiele en klimaat uitdagingen (en)

IP/09/1945

Brussels, 16 December 2009

Rural development: vote on latest modifications of rural development programmes to address new challenges

The Rural Development Committee has voted on a third wave of proposals from Member States/regions for using EU Recovery Plan, CAP Health Check funding and other transfers within the CAP to address issues including the economic and dairy crisis and climate change. This closes a very intensive cycle of negotiations between the Commission and Member States and gives the green light for the rapid injection of an additional amount of about €4.6 billion into the economy of rural areas and agriculture in 2009.

"The current economic and environmental situation demands action - in the countryside just as much as in our towns and cities," said Mariann Fischer Boel i, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. "We have been taking determined action at European level in many ways. The CAP Health Check and the European Economic Recovery Plan have both put new money on the table to help deal with pressing problems such as restructuring the dairy sector and fighting climate change. It’s up to Member States and regions to use this money wisely.”

Distribution of funds across priority areas

In the period October - December, 80 rural development programmes were modified and additional funding of about €4.6 billion is now ready to be invested in agriculture, the environment and broadband in rural areas (see annex 1). The December RDC voted on 37 of these modifications (5 national and 32 regional; see IP/09/1568 and IP/09/1813 for October and November approvals). The majority of the funds will be concentrated in the areas of bio-diversity, water management, climate change and dairy restructuring (see annex 2).

Developing broadband infrastructure remains a priority and until now 35 rural development programmes opened the door for ensuring a full EU broadband coverage via the EERP. The additional budget approved for broadband has now reached € 343.6 million.

Where will Member States invest the additional funds?

The additional funding comes from the CAP Health Check (€ 3.9 billion 1 ) and the EERP ( €1.0 billion).

As regards the CAP Health-Check, investments in 2009 - 2013 could focus on any or all of the following priorities 2 :

Climate change adaptation and mitigation;

The current stepping-up of the efforts in this area will see Member States re-enforcing their investments in a variety of fields such as precision agriculture, reduced use of fertilisers, improvement of manure storage, increased energy efficiency by use of construction materials reducing heat loss, soil management practices, afforestation, coastal and interior flood protection, and many others. This will maintain the leading role that European agriculture plays in curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

Water management

Sustainable water management remains an essential element for European farmers and agriculture. Investments in this field will include among others water saving technologies, water storage, water saving production techniques, installations for waste water treatment on farms and in processing and marketing, creation of natural banks, wetland restoration.

Renewable energy

Better utilisation of natural and renewable energy sources is a leading principle in achieving the European objectives for sustainability. European farmers will further contribute to this objective by investing in biogas production using organic waste, processing of agricultural and forest biomass for renewable energy, growing of perennial energy crops. The creation of infrastructure in rural areas for renewable energy using biomass, solar and wind power, and geothermal energy sources will be re-enforced.

Biodiversity

The attainment of the Community’s biodiversity target for 2010 requires additional efforts, the need for which is also driven by the current water demands and climate change. Investments under the CAP Health-Check will cover among others conservation of genetic diversity, integrated and organic production, land use changes, construction/management of biotopes/habitats within and outside Natura 2000 sites, setting up of meadow orchards.

Restructuring of the dairy sector;

The recent crisis in the dairy sector has called for additional actions by the Community and the Member States. Investments by Member States will cover among others improvements in processing and marketing related to dairy, various types of investment support related to dairy production (including support for compliance with newly introduced community standards) and innovation.

The EERP is giving an extra € 1.0 billion to be spent in the same period on broadband in rural areas and any/all of the above priorities 3 .

Monitoring the impact of the spending

Member States/regions report annually on all spending under RDPs, along with its impact. As of 2010 this will also cover the additional funds injected into existing RDPs as a consequence of the CAP Health Check and the EERP.

Approvals of amendments to other Member States’/regions’ RDPs

Only a few rural development programmes still remain to be modified. The approvals of these remaining modifications are expected to take place in the next meeting of the Rural Development Committee in January 2010.

Information on the Rural Development Programmes from the Member States available at:

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/rurdev/countries/index_en.htm

Annex 1

Table 1. Distribution of Health-Check and EERP funds across the priority areas following the December approvals

of rural development programmes’ modifications

Note: This table presents the overall distribution of the funds from the Health-Check of the CAP (including voluntary modulation and the additional funds for Germany and Sweden) and the EERP taken together. Funds for broadband could only be spent under the EERP. Funds coming from the Health-Check of the CAP could only be spent for new challenges. Empty cells equal zero. The numbers are rounded to the first figure after the decimal.

• * 

  FR (Hexagone) targets two priority areas simultaneously, which made necessary the equal split of funds among them for the purpose of presentation

** ES (Canarias) was voted in November 2009, but information on it has not been yet provided

Annex 2

Figure 1. Overall distribution of CAP Health-Check and EERP funds across priorities based on the approved in October - December 2009 rural development programmes’ modifications, %,

Figures and graphics available in PDF and WORD PROCESSED

1 :

Including additional funds coming from voluntary modulation and transfers according Art. 136 of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009.

2 :

Council Regulation (EC) No 74/2009 of 19 January 2009

3 :

Council Regulation (EC) No 473/2009 of 25 May 2009