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Meeting the EU requirements

  1. What is the Rural Development Regulation?
  2. What are the axes and measures?
  3. What are the Community Strategic Guidelines for Rural Development?
  4. What is the National Strategy Plan?
  5. Is the Strategy just for England?
  6. When will we be submitting the Strategy to the European Commission?
  7. Does the European Commission need to formally approve the Strategy?
  8. What is the Programme Document?
  9. When was the new Programme approved?
  10. What are they EU Implementing Regulations?
  11. Are there EU Regulations governing enforcement?
1. What is the Rural Development Regulation?
2.  What are the axes and measures?
  • The Rural Development Regulation is structured around three EU objectives for rural development, called "Axes":
    • Axis 1 - Improving the competitiveness of the farming and forestry sectors
    • Axis 2 - Improving the environment and the countryside
    • Axis 3 - Rural quality of life and diversification of the rural economy
  • In addition, there is a fourth Axis that applies the Leader approach in support of the other three axes. For further information on the Leader approach please see Section J.
  • Within the Axes, there are 34 measures that could be used in England. These set out activities eligible for funding. The next Rural Development Programme in England must be constructed around these measures, although we do not need to use all of them.
  • The Regulation prescribes minimum amounts of EU funding to be spent on each Axis:
    • Axis 1 - 10%
    • Axis 2 - 25%
    • Axis 3 - 10%
  • In addition, 5% of the EU funding must be delivered through the Leader approach.
3.  What are the Community Strategic Guidelines for Rural Development?
  • The European Commission has produced Strategic Guidelines for Rural Development to accompany the Rural Development Regulation. They can be found on the European Commission’s website at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/l_055/l_05520060225en00200029.pdf
  • The Strategic Guidelines aim to:
    • identify the areas where the use of EU support for rural development creates the most value added at EU level;
    • make the link with the main EU priorities (Lisbon and Goteborg);
    • ensure consistency with other EU policies, in particular cohesion and environment;
    • accompany the implementation of the new market orientated CAP and the necessary restructuring it will entail in the old and new Member States.
4.  What is the National Strategy Plan?
  • The National Strategy Plan is the reference framework for preparing the detail of the next Rural Development Programme for England.
  • We are required by the EU Rural Development Regulation to set out, at a high level, our priorities for action, the evidence base for our approach, expenditure across the RDPE's objectives and information about how we will co-ordinate rural development funding with other EU funds.
  • The European Commission wants the strategy to show how our plans for rural development are consistent with wider EU activities, policies and priorities - including the Community Strategic Guidelines for Rural Development.
5.  Is the Strategy just for England?
  • The regulation requires the Strategy to be developed at the Member State level.
  • However, as rural development policy is an area of devolved responsibility within the UK, we have submitted 4 rural development strategies, one for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
  • The four strategies will be brought together under an overarching UK synthesis highlighting the common themes between the four countries.
6.  When will we be submitting the Strategy to the European Commission?
  • We submitted the UK National Strategy Plan for the Programming period of 2007 - 2013 to the EU Commission on 21 December 2006. This consists of an overarching UK document, and separate annexes covering the strategies for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Strategy has taken into account the results of the consultation held in the spring 2006.
  • You can view the UK and England strategies (July 2007 versions) here: UK Strategy, Annex 1 to UK Strategy, Annex 1a to UK Strategy, England Strategy.
  • This will not be the final version of the Strategy as there is scope, within the Rural Development Regulation, to develop elements of it to further ensure it is aligned with the approved Programme before we can completely finalise it.
7.  Does the European Commission need to formally approve the Strategy?
  • No, the Commission does not formally need to approve the Strategy.
  • However, as it provides the framework for the detailed Programme document, which the Commission does approve, we do need to make sure that they are content with what we propose.
8.  What is the Programme Document?
  • The Programme Document sets out (in the format laid down in the Implementation Regulation) what we will do under the next Rural Development Programme for England, including which Rural Development Regulation measures we plan to use and the indicative funding for each measure.
9. When was the new Programme approved?
    • The Rural Development Programme for England 2007-2013 (RDPE) was agreed by the European Union’s Rural Development Committee on 6 December 2007.  The EU Commission decision formally approving the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-2013 was issued on 7 December 2007.
    10.  What are the EU Implementing Regulations?
    • The implementing regulations provide detailed guidance on how the rural development programmes should be delivered. There are three implementing regulations covering controls (finance and inspections), the transition from the current to the new rural development programmes, together with the main implementing regulation that outlines what the programme should include and how it should be structured.
    • The implementing regulations are important because they set out the rules for the RDPE. The European Commission can delay approving Member State's rural development programmes and issue fines if they believe the rules have not been followed.
    • All three implementing regulations have now been adopted and the final numbered versions on the Controls Regulation and Implementing Regulation are now available.
    11.  Are there EU Regulations governing enforcement?
      • Enforcement Regulations for the Rural Development Programme for England are available. These Regulations (The Rural Development (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2007) provide the Secretary of State and delivery bodies with the powers to make inspections and - in the event of breaches of the conditions of grant - recover payments from recipients of awards made under the RDPE.
      • Also available are an Explanatory Memorandum and Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Regulations.

      Page last modified: 28 August, 2009
      Page published: 21 July, 2005