(Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development)
Legal basis: Reg. 1268/99 of 26 June 1999
Duration: 2000-2006
Financial resources available: € 520 million/year (specific
amounts are established for each beneficiary state).
Intervention area: Central-Eastern European Countries (CEEC) that
are candidates for accession.
Beneficiaries: the final beneficiaries of the resources are agricultural
enterprises in the acceding countries; these enterprises must
meet the minimum requirements provided for by national regulations
on livestock environments, health and well being; profitability
at the end of the investment must be demonstrable.
Objective: to assist those countries applying for accession to
implement the Community "Acquis" in the agriculture
and rural-development sectors.
Actions: improvement in conditions for transforming and marketing
agricultural and fisheries products; investments in agricultural
operations; the development and improvement of rural infrastructures.
Procedures: each beneficiary State, taking into consideration
the Accession Partnerships and the National Plans for the Adoption
of the "Acquis", has prepared a plan outlining the measures
for agriculture and overall development for a period of seven
years. On the basis of these plans, the Commission, in agreement
with the Member States, has approved, within the Star Committee,
the national programmes for agriculture and rural development.
The SAPARD programme is managed in a completely decentralised
way, organised through appropriate agencies, accredited in each
candidate country and having full responsibility for achieving
the objectives that have been set up and for using the funds.
Further information is available at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/pas/sapard.htm
