Agenda 2000: support for rural development from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund EAGGF

PURPOSE : detailed rules supplementing Council Regulation 1257/1999/EC. COMMUNITY MEASURE : Council Regulation 445/2002/EC on support for rural development from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF). CONTENT : Regulation 1257/1999/EC established a single legal framework for EAGGF support for rural development. It specifies the measures eligible for support, their objectives and the criteria for eligibility. This Regulation adopts detailed rules to supplement the framework. In particular: -the conditions for support for investment laid down in Regulation 1257/1999 must be fulfilled at the time when the individual decision to grant support is taken. -where investments are made in order to comply with certain minimum standards, a period of grace may be provided to meet these standards. Member States may grant small farms support for investments less than EUR 25000 to enable them to comply with Article 5 requirements within three years. -Detailed rules are laid down for assessing normal market outlets in relation to Community support for investments in holdings and processing plants. -support for vocational training does not cover normal agricultural and forestry education. -as regards the conditions for early retirement support, specific problems arising where a holding is transferred by several transferors or by a tenant farmer are solved. -compensatory allowances payable in less-favoured areas for land used by several farmers is paid to each farmer concerned in proportion to the degree to which the farmer is entitled to its use. -in line with the "polluter pays" principle, there is no compensation for the costs and income losses resulting from application of the restriction imposed by Directive 676/1991/EEC which reduces water pollution from agricultural nitrates. -there are minimum requirements to be met by farmers in connection with the various agri-environment commitments. -the selection criteria for investments to improve the processing and marketing of agricultural products is fixed. These are based on broad principles rather than sectoral rules. -the outermost regions of the Community are exempt, subject to conditions, from the requirement that no support may be given for investments intended for the processing or marketing of products from third countries. -forests not eligible for support under Article 29 of Regulation 1257/1999/EC are defined in detail. -detailed conditions are laid down for support for afforestation and payments for activities to maintain and improve ecological stability of forests. -rules common to several measures are laid down to ensure, in particular, that common standards of good farming practice are applied where measures refer to that criterion. -a clear dividing line is drawn between finanicng rural development support and financing support under common market organisations. -rural development support payments will be made in full to beneficiaries. -money from penalties for environmental infringements remainavailable to the Member States for certain rural development measures. This regulation specifies what the Commission's approval covers in the case of such measures. -there are detailed rules for the presentation of rural development plans and their revision. -requirements are set for amendments to rural development programming documents. -the scope of the measures eligible for aid from the EAGGF Guidance Section is extended beyond the provisions of Regulation 1257/1999/EC in order to cover all the measures needed for the implementation of the community initiative programme for rural development. -detailed rules are laid down on the financial planning and contributions to financing the measures financed by the EAGGF Guarantee Section. -provision is made for a system of penalties at both Community and Member State level. ENTRY INTO FORCE : 22/03/02.�