Picture: Grazing sheep in the Gjilan District, Brilliant Eye / Shutterstock
This Twinning project was a joint effort between the European Union and Kosovo to improve the agricultural sector and support rural development in the country.
Its main objective was to improve the competitiveness of Kosovo's agricultural sector by strengthening the administrative capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Development (MAFRD) and implementing short-term sector priorities and market-oriented reforms including carrying out the coordination, monitoring and management of agricultural and rural development policies and funds.
Overall, the Kosovo Agriculture and Rural Development Twinning Project 2009 to 2011 had a significant positive impact on institutional capacity, the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and improvement of rural areas in the country. The project has also contributed to strengthening the partnership between Kosovo and the EU in the field of agriculture and rural development, paving the way for further cooperation.
During the implementation of the project, experts from EU Member States worked closely with their counterparts in Kosovo to develop new policies and strategies for the agricultural and rural sector, and to implement interventions improving agricultural productivity and enhancing the value chain of agricultural products.
The project helped set up the necessary administrative structures to deliver direct payments. Almost 10,000 applications of direct payments and almost 1,000 rural development investment projects have been submitted, processed and controlled by the Paying Unit of ministry in the year 2010, of which 8,048 DP applications and 503 RD projects have been successfully implemented and paid to the beneficiaries.
Project title: Preparation for implementation and management of agricultural and rural development policy in Kosovo
Project ID: KS/2008/IB/AG/01, 2009-2011