The State Agricultural Intervention Fund (SZIF) is a legal entity headquartered in Prague with regional offices across the Czech Republic. The SZIF’s activities are governed by Act No 256/2000 on the State Agricultural Intervention Fund, as amended by Act No 128/2003, Act No 85/2004 and implementing legal regulations in the form of the government’s implementing decrees.
The State Agricultural Intervention Fund (SZIF) is an accredited paying agency that acts as an intermediary responsible for the administration of financial subsidies allocated from EU funds and Czech national resources. Under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, EU subsidies are provided from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and, in the 2007–2013 and 2014–2020 programming periods, from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the European Fisheries Fund (EFF). The Horizontal Rural Development Plan (HRDP) and Operational Programme Rural Development and Multifunctional Agriculture have been replaced by the EAFRD-funded Rural Development Programme (RDP).
Three main EU principles are set out under the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy:
EU-financed subsidisation is based on direct payments implemented under a simplified system of pay-outs per hectare of agriculture land. The 2007 launch of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) was a major challenge and opportunity for the agricultural sector. There is also a framework of “Common Market Organisation” measures aimed at minimising market fluctuations and supporting farmers in their agricultural business.
The SZIF (within the scope of the EAGF) is also responsible for the administration of the following: