Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005
Modified by
  • Regulation (EU) No 1310/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Councilof 17 December 2013laying down certain transitional provisions on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), amending Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards resources and their distribution in respect of the year 2014 and amending Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 and Regulations (EU) No 1307/2013, (EU) No 1306/2013 and (EU) No 1308/2013of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards their application in the year 2014, 32013R1310, December 20, 2013
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 994/2014of 13 May 2014amending Annexes VIII and VIIIc to Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009, Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Annexes II, III and VI to Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council, 32014R0994, September 24, 2014
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1378/2014of 17 October 2014amending Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Annexes II and III to Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council, 32014R1378, December 23, 2014
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/791of 27 April 2015amending Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, 32015R0791, May 22, 2015
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/142of 2 December 2015amending Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Annex III to Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council, 32016R0142, February 4, 2016
  • Regulation (EU) 2017/825 of the European Parliament and of the Councilof 17 May 2017on the establishment of the Structural Reform Support Programme for the period 2017 to 2020 and amending Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013 and (EU) No 1305/2013, 32017R0825, May 19, 2017
Corrected by
  • Corrigendum to Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005, 32013R1305R(01), May 19, 2016
Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Councilof 17 December 2013on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 TITLE IOBJECTIVES AND STRATEGYCHAPTER ISubject matter and Definitions
Article 1Subject matter1.This Regulation lays down general rules governing Union support for rural development, financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development ("the EAFRD") and established by Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013. It sets out the objectives to which rural development policy is to contribute and the relevant Union priorities for rural development. It outlines the strategic context for rural development policy and defines the measures to be adopted in order to implement rural development policy. In addition, it lays down rules on programming, networking, management, monitoring and evaluation on the basis of responsibilities shared between the Member States and the Commission and rules to ensure coordination of the EAFRD with other Union instruments.2.This Regulation complements the provisions of Part Two of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and the CouncilRegulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (see page 549 of this Official Journal)..
Article 2Definitions1.For the purposes of this Regulation, the definitions of "programme", "operation", "beneficiary", "community-led local development strategy", "public expenditure", "SMEs", "completed operation" and "financial instruments" as laid down or referred to in Article 2 and of "less developed regions" and "transition regions" as laid down in points (a) and (b) in Article 90(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 apply.In addition, the following definitions shall apply:(a)"programming": means the process of organisation, decision making and allocation of financial resources in several stages, with the involvement of partners, intended to implement, on a multi-annual basis, joint action by the Union and the Member States to achieve the Union priorities for rural development.(b)"region" means a territorial unit corresponding to level 1 or 2 of the Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS level 1 and 2) within the meaning of Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilRegulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) (OJ L 154, 21.6.2003, p. 1).;(c)"measure" means a set of operations contributing to one or more of the Union priorities for rural development;(d)"support rate" means the rate of public contribution to an operation;(e)"transaction cost" means an additional cost linked to fulfilling a commitment, but not directly attributable to its implementation or not included in the costs or income foregone that are compensated directly; and which can be calculated on a standard cost basis;(f)"agricultural area" means any area taken up by arable land, permanent grassland and permanent pasture or permanent crops as defined in Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013;(g)"economic losses" means any additional cost incurred by a farmer as a result of exceptional measures taken by the farmer with the objective of reducing supply on the market concerned or any substantial loss of production;(h)"adverse climatic event" means weather conditions, such as frost, storms and hail, ice, heavy rain or severe drought, which can be assimilated to a natural disaster;(i)"animal diseases" means diseases mentioned in the list of animal diseases established by the World Organisation for Animal Health or in the Annex to Council Decision 2009/470/ECCouncil Decision 2009/470/EC of 25 May 2009 on expenditure in the veterinary field (OJ L 155, 18.6.2009, p. 30).;(j)"environmental incident" means a specific occurrence of pollution, contamination or degradation in the quality of the environment which is related to a specific event and is of limited geographical scope; but does not cover general environmental risks not connected with a specific event, such as climate change or atmospheric pollution;(k)"natural disaster": means a naturally occurring event of a biotic or abiotic nature that leads to important disturbances in agricultural production systems or forest structures, eventually causing important economic damage to the farming or forestry sectors;(l)"catastrophic event": means an unforeseen event of a biotic or abiotic nature caused by human action that leads to important disturbances in agricultural production systems or forest structures, eventually causing important economic damage to the farming or forestry sectors;(m)"short supply chain": means a supply chain involving a limited number of economic operators, committed to co-operation, local economic development, and close geographical and social relations between producers, processors and consumers;(n)"young farmer" means a person who is no more than 40 years of age at the moment of submitting the application, possesses adequate occupational skills and competence and is setting up for the first time in an agricultural holding as head of that holding;(o)"thematic objectives": means the thematic objectives defined in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013;(p)"Common Strategic Framework" ("CSF")": means the Common Strategic Framework referred to in Article 10 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013;(q)"cluster" means a grouping of independent undertakings, including start-ups, small, medium and large undertakings as well as advisory bodies and/or research organisations - designed to stimulate economic/ innovative activity by promoting intensive interactions, the sharing of facilities and the exchange of knowledge and expertise, as well as contributing effectively to knowledge transfer, networking and information dissemination among the undertakings in the cluster;(r)"forest" means an area of land spanning more than 0,5 hectares with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of more than 10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ; and does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use, subject to paragraph 2.2.A Member State or region may choose to apply a forest definition, other than the one in point (r) of paragraph 1, based on existing national law or inventory system. The Member States or regions shall provide such definition in the rural development programme;3.In order to ensure a coherent approach in the treatment of beneficiaries and to take into account the need for an adaptation period, as regards the definition of young farmer laid down in paragraph 1(n), the Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 83 concerning the conditions under which a legal person may be considered to be a 'young farmer', and the setting of a grace period for the acquisition of occupational skills.
CHAPTER IIMission, objectives and priorities
Article 3MissionThe EAFRD shall contribute to the Europe 2020 Strategy by promoting sustainable rural development throughout the Union in a manner that complements the other instruments of the CAP, the cohesion policy and the common fisheries policy. It shall contribute to the development of a Union agricultural sector that is more territorially and environmentally balanced, climate-friendly and resilient and competitive and innovative. It shall also contribute to the development of rural territories.
Article 4ObjectivesWithin the overall framework of the CAP, support for rural development, including for activities in the food and non-food sector and in forestry, shall contribute to achieving the following objectives:(a)fostering the competitiveness of agriculture;(b)ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources, and climate action;(c)achieving a balanced territorial development of rural economies and communities including the creation and maintenance of employment.
Article 5Union priorities for rural developmentThe achievement of the objectives of rural development, which contribute to the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, shall be pursued through the following six Union priorities for rural development, which reflect the relevant Thematic Objectives of the CSF:(1)fostering knowledge transfer and innovation in agriculture, forestry, and rural areas with a focus on the following areas:(a)fostering innovation, cooperation, and the development of the knowledge base in rural areas;(b)strengthening the links between agriculture, food production and forestry and research and innovation, including for the purpose of improved environmental management and performance;(c)fostering lifelong learning and vocational training in the agricultural and forestry sectors.(2)enhancing farm viability and competitiveness of all types of agriculture in all regions and promoting innovative farm technologies and the sustainable management of forests, with a focus on the following areas:(a)improving the economic performance of all farms and facilitating farm restructuring and modernisation, notably with a view to increasing market participation and orientation as well as agricultural diversification;(b)facilitating the entry of adequately skilled farmers into the agricultural sector and, in particular, generational renewal.(3)promoting food chain organisation, including processing and marketing of agricultural products, animal welfare and risk management in agriculture, with a focus on the following areas:(a)improving competitiveness of primary producers by better integrating them into the agri-food chain through quality schemes, adding value to agricultural products, promotion in local markets and short supply circuits, producer groups and organisations and inter-branch organisations;(b)supporting farm risk prevention and management.(4)restoring, preserving and enhancing ecosystems related to agriculture and forestry, with a focus on the following areas:(a)restoring, preserving and enhancing biodiversity, including in Natura 2000 areas, and in areas facing natural or other specific constraints, and high nature value farming, as well as the state of European landscapes;(b)improving water management, including fertiliser and pesticide management;(c)preventing soil erosion and improving soil management.(5)promoting resource efficiency and supporting the shift towards a low carbon and climate resilient economy in agriculture, food and forestry sectors, with a focus on the following areas:(a)increasing efficiency in water use by agriculture;(b)increasing efficiency in energy use in agriculture and food processing;(c)facilitating the supply and use of renewable sources of energy, of by-products, wastes and residues and of other non food raw material, for the purposes of the bio-economy;(d)reducing green house gas and ammonia emissions from agriculture;(e)fostering carbon conservation and sequestration in agriculture and forestry;(6)promoting social inclusion, poverty reduction and economic development in rural areas, with a focus on the following areas:(a)facilitating diversification, creation and development of small enterprises, as well as job creation;(b)fostering local development in rural areas;(c)enhancing the accessibility, use and quality of information and communication technologies (ICT) in rural areas.All those priorities shall contribute to the cross-cutting objectives of innovation, environment and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Programmes may address fewer than six priorities if justified on the basis of the analysis of the situation in terms of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats ("the SWOT") and the ex ante evaluation. At least four priorities shall be addressed by each programme. When a Member State submits a national programme and a set of regional programmes, the national programme may address fewer than four priorities.Other focus areas may be included in programmes in order to pursue one of the priorities if justified and measurable.
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