(16 December 2014) – On Friday, the European Commission approved the first three out of 118 Rural Development Programmes, in Austria, Denmark and Poland.
The programmes aim to improve the competitiveness of the EU’s farming sector, while at the same time protecting the countryside and climate, and strengthening the economic and social parts of rural communities until 2020.
Operating at either national or regional level, the 118 multi-annual programmes are backed by EUR 95.6 billion of total EU funding over the period 2014-2020 through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and will draw in additional national, regional and private finance.
The Polish programme is aiming to create more than 22 000 jobs. In Denmark, particular emphasis is given to fostering innovation. In Austria, priority is given to environment and climate concerns.
In addition to Friday’s programmes, a further 6 programmes will be adopted before the end of the year.