Evaluation of support for non-agricultural activities in Slovakia in the period 2007-2013 through the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013

Abstract

Rural Development Programme of the SR (RDP SR) 2007-2013 represented a comprehensive programme document for funding from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) in the programming period 2007-2013. The RDP SR 2007-2013 supported many activities related to agriculture, forestry industry, livestock production, tourism and agro-tourism. Following goals of the EAFRD were supported by the RDP SR 2007-2013: Increasing the competitiveness of agriculture, food and forestry sector; Improving the environment and landscape; Improvement of life in rural areas and Diversification of the rural economy. The last mentioned activity: Diversification of the rural economy was supported in the previous programming period by the Axis 3: Quality of life in rural areas, Measure 3.1. Diversification into non-agricultural activities. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the implementation of the Measure 3.1. The paper focuses on content evaluation of supported projects and spatial and financial allocation of request for non-repayable financial contribution. The first part of the paper is focused on the submission of request for non-repayable financial contribution: call for proposals, supported documents available for applicants, preparation of projects and their submission. The second part of the paper is oriented on evaluation of submitted projects by the Agricultural Paying Agency and payments for beneficiaries. The third part of the paper is oriented on evaluation of realization of projects with emphasis on problems on both sides: on the side of beneficiaries and on the side of the Agricultural Paying Agency. The goal of the paper is to show problems which occurred in all phases of realization of projects under the measure 3.1 with the aim to avoid the appearance of the same problems in following programming periods.