The European Commission adopted on Tuesday the Slovenian Rural Development Programme for 2007-2013, the Agriculture, Forestry and Food Ministry said. Slovenia is to get almost EUR 1.16bn in the period, of which almost EUR 900m will come from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
According to the ministry, the money will be used for projects on four axes. The first axis will get some 30% of the money for measures to increase labour productivity in agriculture and forestry and encourage the young to stay at farms. Furthermore, the funds are to pay for upgrades to farms and the food processing industry and be spent on measures for adapting to climate change.
The measures of the second axis will meanwhile get 50% of the funds in order to preserve the man-made landscape, decrease the negative effects of farming on the environment and encourage sustainable farming.
The third axis will meanwhile get 11% of the funds for creating new jobs and improving the quality of life in the rural areas by supporting supplementary activities by setting-up and aiding micro-companies and supporting the renovation of villages, the ministry said.
A novelty in the 2007-2013 programme is the fourth "Leader" axis, featuring locally based bottom-up approaches to rural development, which is to receive 3% of the funds.
Slovenia is also to implement for the first time the "Leader +" programme, which was already included in the previous EU rural development programme, and is intended to encourage local development initiatives.
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