Rural development: Community strategic guidelines, support by the EAFRD, programming period 2007–2013

The Council took note of the presentation by the Commission of its proposal for a Council Decision on Community Strategic Guidelines for Rural Development and gave a mandate to the Special Committee on Agriculture to examine the proposal, in order to prepare a debate at a future meeting of the Council.

The target date for adoption of the Community strategic guidelines is Autumn 2005. The common framework for monitoring and evaluation should be fully elaborated by the end of 2005. On 20 June 2005, the Council unanimously reached political agreement on the Regulation establishing a European Fund for Rural Development for 2007-2013.