Rural development: support from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) following the 2004 enlargement

PURPOSE : to allow rural regions of the new Member States of the EU to benefit from the rural development support measures.

LEGISLATIVE ACT : Council Regulation 2223/2004/EC amending Regulation 1257/1999/EC on support for rural development from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF).

CONTENT : in order to prevent any difference in treatment between the Member States that made up the Community at 30 April 2004 and the Member States which joined on 1 May 2004 as regards the financing of agri-environmental measures in the areas covered by Objective 1, the rate of the financial contribution applicable to the latter should be brought into line with that applicable to the former as from the date of accession, in accordance with Regulation 1257/1999/EC.

Moreover, Regulation 1257/1999/EC lays down the Community contribution rate in the areas outside Objective 1 and 2. In accordance with this Regulation as modified by the 2003 Act of accession, these provisions do not apply to the Member States that joined the European Union on 1 May 2004 in that they only had areas subject to Objective 1 and Objective 2. Since then, it has become clear that some of these Member States, such as Slovakia, also have areas outside the said

objectives, where the rural development measures might apply. Under these circumstances, it is necessary to make applicable to the Member States that joined the European Union on 1 May 2004 the provisions of Regulation 1257/1999/EC laying down the Community contribution rate for the measures covered by the rural development programme.

ENTRY INTO FORCE : 23/12/2004.

DATE APPLICABLE : 01/05/2004.