COHESION POLICY WITH MEASURES EXECUTED WITHIN
THE COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY AND THE COMMON
FISHERY POLICY
Shifting development measures concerning agriculture and rural areas and measures related to fishery which up to now were financed from the Guidance Section of the European Agriculture Guid− ance and Guarantee Funds and the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance outside the cohesion policy to the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fishery Policy respectively means a neces− sity of working out coordination mechanisms of the cohesion policy with policies related to the develop− ment of rural areas, which are, especially in Poland, areas with low level of social and economic devel− opment. Simultaneously guidelines of the cohesion policy for the years 2007−2013 assume that it is to play a leading role in support of the economic restitution process on rural areas, supplementing measures supported within a new fund in support of development of rural areas (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development EAFRD) and fund in support of rationalisation of the fishery sector economy (European Fisheries Fund). This requires assuring synergy between the structural policy, employment policy and development policy of rural areas and the fisheries policy.
One of the specific horizontal objectives of NSRF, which determines the main objectives and de− velopment priorities of Poland with respect to cohesion policy is balancing development opportunities and assisting structural changes on rural areas. In the years 2007−2013 making use of the non−agricul− tural development potential of rural areas would involve resources and instruments of the cohesion policy. They would be directed at supporting the competitive power of particular regions, in adaptation to their internal potential and own development strategy, as well as balancing differences in the develop− ment level and in conditions that occur inside regions, especially in relations town−village, both with respect to technical infrastructure and in the social sphere. This situation concerns considerable areas of eastern and northern Poland, including especially rural areas, areas of former state run farms and areas which are dependent on fishery.
An important direction in support coming from resources of the cohesion policy would be assisting structural changes based on retraining of persons coming from agriculture, supporting and promotion of entrepreneurship, as well as supporting the development of non−agricultural functions of villages (including areas dependent on fishery). Important spheres in this context shall be towns, which will play the role of service centres for rural areas.
Pursuant toCouncil Regulation (CE)No. 1698/2005 of 20 September 2005 concerningsupport for development of rural areas by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)55 (hereinafter: Council Regulation No. 1698/2005) and on the basis of Council Regulation (CE) No. 1198/ 2006 of 27 July 2006 concerning the European Fisheries Fund (EFF)56 (hereinafter: Council Regulation No. 1198/2006), as well as taking into consideration results of an analysis of the social, economic and environmental situation, defined were priorities and directions for development of rural areas and the fishery policy in Poland in relation to Community priorities. To enable supplementing the list of measures indispensable from the viewpoint of needs of villages and the agricultural sector, as well as fishery, a better coordination becomes necessary of instruments within the remaining Community policies,
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Official Journal EU L 277 of 21 October 2005
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including in particular the cohesion policy and involvement of state budget resources within national contribution support.
The concept of multifunctional development of rural areas is a basis for delivery of the National Strategic Plan for Development of Rural Areas for the years 2007−2013, a basic strategic document in Poland which reflects provisions of Strategic Community Guidelines in the subject scope (RDSG)57. This concept assumes economic support for farms and improvement of competitiveness in the agricul− tural and food product sector, with simultaneous assurance of instruments in support of differentiation of business operation towards alternative income sources for inhabitants of rural areas. This would contribute to improvement of the living quality on rural areas through development of the services sec− tor, and in addition would create an alternative for the presently dominating role of rural areas, i.e. agricultural production. Apart from economic functions an equally essential aspect of development of rural areas in Poland is their role in preservation of landscape values and nature resources – preservation of a good ecological condition of water and soil, variety of habitats and biological diversity, as well as cultural heritage in villages.
The initiative of a multi−functional development of rural areas remains complementary towards the concept of supporting structural changes on rural areas, proposed within the cohesion policy for the years 2007−2013, which is implemented within NSRF.
Objectives of the Strategy of Fisheries Development for the years 2007−2013 are fully coherent with objectives of the EU Common Fisheries Policy, taking particularly into consideration rationalisation of the fishery sector through adaptation of outlay and fishing ability, development of aquaculture sector and fish processing industry and market, as well as development of the coastal area. To assure devel− opment of fishery in the years 2007−2013 and delivery of strategic objectives of the policy in this scope it is necessary to undertake measures in support of balanced usage of fishery resources, development and growth of competitiveness of this sector particularly taking into consideration human capital and the territorial dimension of the fishery policy.
The complex formulation of problems related to the development of the fishery sector and of coast− al regions dependent on it contained in the Fishery Development Strategy for the years 2007−2013 is supplemented by measures proposed within the cohesion policy implemented within NSRF, including especially by supporting modernisation of the economy, creation of new work places or training of human capital, which allows requalifiation and taking up competition n the labour market outside the fishery sector.
Coordination of functioning of structural funds and of the Cohesion Fund with structural instru− ments of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fishery Policy (implementation, monitoring, periodical evaluations) will be assured within the NSRF Coordination Committee (NSRF CC), thanks to participation in it of representatives of Managing Authorities for the Development Programme of Rural Areas and OP Sustainable development of the fishery sector and coastal fishing areas. Cooperation of institutions covers stages of programming, implementation, monitoring, as well as control and evalu− ation of implementation with respect to measures in support of development of rural areas and areas dependent on fishery. Within this cooperation, during programming stages representatives of the Minis− try of Agriculture and Rural Development participated in preparation of NSRF, in the part concerning rural areas and areas dependent on fishery (objective 6 of NSRF, diagnosis of rural areas and areas dependent on fishery). Through common working meeting it was possible to work out a common approach of particular cohesion policy operational programmes to issues of support for rural areas and areas dependent on fishery. In a similar way the Ministry of Regional Development participated in reviewing projects of the National Strategic Development Plan of Rural Areas and Rural Areas Development
Programme as regards their consistence with NSRF provisions related to rural areas. In NSRF CC representatives of both ministries will be participating in works of monitoring committees or other bodies appointed within NSRF implementation systems, European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), EFR and, as regards impact on the above mentioned responsibility areas, in issuing opinions concerning annual reports on implementation of appropriate operational programmes. In justified cases representatives of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development may participate in sessions of the Monitoring Committees for Regional Operational Programme. A detailed description of tasks of the Committee has been presented in chapter 9: Implementation system.
National operational programmes of the cohesion policy, Common Agricultural Policy (Rural Areas Development Programme) and Common Fishery Policy (OP Sustainable development of the fishery sector and coastal fishing areas) comprise the following common intervention areas, directed at devel− opment of rural areas and areas dependent on fishery:
• development of transport infrastructure (road infrastructure),
• development of environment protection infrastructure (water supply and sewerage sys− tems, municipal wastes management, monitoring the condition of the natural environment and its protection – plant and animal species, including Natura 2000 areas, management of water resources – land drainage systems),
• development of energy infrastructure (production, transmission and distribution of electric power and energy from renewable sources),
• development of social infrastructure (social, cultural, monumental, tourist and sport infra− structure),
• development of human resources (training courses, professional advancement and requalifi− cation),
• assisting structural changes (through support for enterprises and commencement of business operation – establishment and development of new enterprises, investments in enterprises and their modernisation, promotion of entrepreneurship).
Identification of the above specified areas led to a necessity of working out the so−called demarca− tion line to limit implementation of given types of projects to particular operational programmes. The demarcation was defined using appropriately selected criteria, the application of which will define the place of realisation (operational programme) of the given project:
• meritoric criteria – which define the type of project (type, scope of assistance, location), • financial criteria – which define the value (cost) of the project,
• beneficiary’s criteria – which define the type of entity relevant for received support for imple− mentation of the given project.
It was assumed that the basic criterion for demarcation is the project value, according to which projects with higher costs would as a rule be implemented within cohesion policy programmes. In special cases it was necessary to supplement the demarcation by the remaining criteria. This concerns in par− ticular the Development Programme of Rural Areas and OP Sustainable development of the fishery sector and coastal fishing areas, in which implementation of projects was additionally limited territorially, appropriately to rural areas and areas dependent on fishery. Where necessary demarcation was supplemented by the criterion of project beneficiary.
The application of adopted solutions would render impossible concurrent implementation of the same project within different operational programmes of the cohesion policy, Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fishery Policy.