The EU Rural Development Programme for Serbia (IPARD) was adopted by the European Commission on 20 January 2015, forming the basis for EU support to the rural sector in Serbia for the next six years.
The main objectives of the Programme are to increase food-safety in Serbia and improve competitiveness of the agro-food sector as well as to help Serbia progressively align with EU standards.
The EU has allocated a budget of EUR 175 million, which will be offered in the form of grants to Serbian rural stakeholders to co-finance appropriate investments up to a maximum public contribution of 70% of eligible expenditure. This should lead to a total investment in the sector of approximately 400 million Euro (49 billion dinar).
On the basis of a detailed and objective analysis of the sector and thorough consultation with stakeholders, Serbian authorities selected the following measures:
1) Investments in agricultural holdings – grants will be provided for farmers producing milk, meat, fruit and vegetables and other crops;
2) Investments relating to the processing and marketing of agricultural products – targeted towards micro, small and medium-sized enterprises processing milk, meat, fruit and vegetables;
3) Organic farming – support will be provided to farmers that introduce organic production methods;
4) Implementation of Local Development Strategies – under the so-called “Leader” approach, support will be provided for the implementation of local rural strategies by Local Action Groups (specially established public-private partnerships);
5) Farm diversification and business development – the measure will facilitate the development of private rural tourism facilities;
6) Technical Assistance – EU experts will assist national authorities with the implementation of the programme.
The EU will provide financial support to Serbia’s agricultural sector through a management and control system that is compliant with good governance standards of a modern public administration equivalent to similar organisations in the Member States of the European Union. The Serbian authorities are currently preparing this system with EU support. This phase must be completed before the first calls for proposals can be announced.
