European Commission will support agriculture and rural development in the pre-accession countries with over €900 million

The European Commission adopted rural development programmes (IPARD) under the instrument for pre-accession assistance for Albania (€112 million), North Macedonia (€97 million), Serbia (€288 million) and Turkey (€430 million). The programmes provide the basis for EU support in the field of agriculture and rural development for the period 2021-2027. This EU support, together with national public and private contributions, are expected to generate in total over €2 billion of investments in the rural areas of Western Balkans and Turkey. With the implementation of IPARD programmes, the beneficiary countries pursue the objectives related to the competitiveness of the agri-food sector, sustainable management of natural resources, climate action and improving their rural areas attractiveness. The programmes also contribute to the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. Furthermore, the IPARD programmes support investments to align with EU standards including upgrading buildings, machinery, and equipment. They also help increasing rural areas growth potential and their attractiveness to prevent depopulation via better infrastructure, diversifying income-generating economic activities and fostering rural employment, in particular among women and youth. IPARD is an integral part of the broader EU pre-accession strategy under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). More information is available online.