(Not) learning from the past? The diffusion of the EU’s rural development policy in its neighbouring countries
Summary (1 min read)
Introduction
- The interest of analysts about the transfer of EU norms and rules to the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) countries is not new.
- The literature suggests that the ENP governments do not adopt EU policy practices randomly, but through common affiliations, negotiations and participation in the same institutions.
- Yet, and despite the inclusion of different actors in the new government plans, administrative problems did not allow the Croatian farmers to absorb a large part of the funds allocated by SAPARD.
- The different historical background of the countries, the configuration of power between the state and the civil society and the distribution of power between the different agricultural producers are crucial factors that explain the implementation of the reformed rural development policies and why particular groups have benefited so far from the EU funds.
- Yet, two issues should be highlighted regarding the participation of North African CSOs in ENPARD.
Conclusion
- The analysis of the four case studies highlights the need to differentiate policy diffusion from convergence and to assess the role that domestic policies play in policy success.
- Pressures from small producers, the role of rural associations and the need to decentralise the governance system led the Croatian administration to plans that offer significant support to small and medium farmers.
- On the other hand, the Tunisian and Egyptian cases share more similarities with the Turkish experience.
- Their administrations offer marginal help to small farmers and the ENP APs support North African policies that increase the gap between large and small framers.
- According to the findings of this research, ENPARD diffuses the new EU principles of rural development, but at the same time it continues the work of the APs with very few changes.
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Frequently Asked Questions (16)
Q2. What did the new government see as a pillar of a functioning democracy and market economy?
24 Trying to support the transition from authoritarian to democratic rule, the new government saw decentralisation reforms and the diffusion of the EU rules as a pillar of a functioning democracy and market economy.
Q3. What led the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture to adopt a multi-sectoral approach?
Domestic pressures for the decentralisation of the decision-making process and theincreasing role of the Croatian civil society in rural areas led the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture to adopt a multi-sectoral approach for the development of the sector.
Q4. What was the main reason for the low productivity of the Croatian farmers?
Land fragmentation was considered as one of the main reasons for the low productivity of the Croatian farmers and through various projects the Croatian government tried to reshape agricultural holdings.
Q5. What are the main objectives of the ENPARD pilot projects in Egypt and Tunisia?
ENPARD pilot projects in the two countries support the sustainable development of rural areas, various income-generating activities and help producers to meet the requirements of the national and international markets.
Q6. What was the role of CSOs in the development of Croatian agriculture?
Their work in rural areas forced the Croatian administration to involve local businesses and civil society in government plans in order to give a new momentum to the agricultural sector and rural development.
Q7. How much does it cost to get the certificate?
In the North African case, the EUREPGAP certificate costs about €1000 per farm, but the infrastructure to get it costs to a North African farmer about €60000 only for the first year of production.
Q8. What is the objective of the EU in promoting the development of the North African agricultural sector?
Through workshops the EU member states transfer their experiences to the ENP partners and assist them for making reforms that will ‘make agriculture a focal sector in their cooperation with the EU’.
Q9. What was the problem for more inclusive strategies that could develop the Turkishagricultural sector?
An additional problem for more inclusive strategies that could develop the Turkishagricultural sector was the weak civil society in the rural areas of the country.
Q10. What were the main obstacles to the development of agriculture?
the underdeveloped infrastructure in rural areas and the problematic access of the rural population to public institutions added more constraints to the development of agriculture.
Q11. What does the EU expect from North African producers to build expensive infrastructure?
56 The EU expects from North African producers to build expensive infrastructure, such as water management facilities, which can be undertaken only by large farmers.
Q12. What was the main reason for the decentralisation of the programme?
The decentralisation initiatives of the Croatian government were controlled from above and undermined the efficiency of the programme.
Q13. How much has the EU committed to the implementation of ENPARD in Egypt and Tunisia?
The implementation of ENPARD in Egypt and Tunisia: Continuing the work of the ENP Action PlansUntil 2014 and only for the preparation of the start-up phase of ENPARD in Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan the EU has committed €2,8m.46
Q14. What were the main factors that benefited small producers?
The participation of CSOs and pressures from below benefited small producers, despite the existence of several problems during the implementation of the programmes.
Q15. What are the main factors that explain the implementation of the reformed rural development policies?
The different historical background of the countries, the configuration of power between the state and the civil society and the distribution of power between the different agricultural producers are crucial factors that explain the implementation of the reformed rural development policies and why particular groups have benefited so far from the EU funds.
Q16. What was the role of the Croatian Rural Development Network?
It got the ability to monitor rural development policies and to propose measures for improving the application of related projects.