Rural Development Programme 2007-2013

The Rural Development Programme (RDP), based on the National Strategic Rural Development Plan, was drawn up in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 of 20 September 2005, as amended, according to Article 15 of which the European Agricultural Fund for the Rural Development (EAFRD) acts through the Rural Development Programme. The Rural Development Programme lays down details of and, at national level, establishes strategies for rural development under Axes I, II and III as set out in the Strategic Rural Development Plan.

• Knowledge-based society
• Internal market and business environment
• Labour market
• Sustainable development

The Rural Development Programme builds on the Gothenburg Conference in introducing conditions for the implementation of measures supporting sustainable farming and new job creation opportunities.

The Rural Development Programme is operated and implemented in the Czech Republic as a means of contributing to objectives defined in the Strategic Rural Development Plan, such as the advancement of the country’s rural areas by virtue of sustainable development, environmental improvements and mitigation of the adverse effects of intensive farming. The RDP also helps to promote the Czech Republic’s competitiveness in staple food commodities. The Programme encourages the expansion and diversification of economic activities in rural areas with a view to developing farm holdings, creating new job opportunities, lowering rural unemployment and consolidating solidarity among those who live in the countryside.