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National Strategic Plan

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National Strategic Plan THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development National Strategic Plan for 2007-2013 Rural Development WARSAW, July 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction _____________________________________________________________ 3 Chapter 1. Analysis of the economic, social and environmental situation in agriculture and setting the fundamental base indicators__________________ 4 Chapter 2. General strategy, transposition of Community priorities and establishment of national priorities _____________________________________ 31 Chapter 3 Strategy as divided into axes, including quantity objectives, intentions and indicators applied. _______________________________________ 35 Chapter 4 Financial resources of Operational Programme Rural Development (indicative allocations), including amounts earmarked for Convergence Objective. _________________________________________________ 40 Chapter 5 Internal and external coherence of NSP_______________________ 40 Chapter 6. National Network of Rural Areas _____________________________ 50 2 Introduction The National Strategic Plan for Poland was prepared on the basis of the Council Regulation (EC) no 1698/2005 of 20 September 2005 on supporting rural development under European Agriculture Rural Development Fund (EAFRD). The provisions of National Strategic Plan take the Community Strategic Guidelines referring to rural areas into account. The National Strategic Plan covers the 2007-2013 programming period. Based on the analysis of the social, economic and environmental situation conducted on the grounds of available statistical data it specifies the priorities and directions of rural development in conjunction with the Community priorities. National Strategic Plan is the basis for the implementation of the Operational Programme Rural Areas Development for 2007–2013. The support for rural development under EAFRD in Poland is referred to the national level in cooperation with the regional and local organisations at the stage of development of strategy and assumptions for individual measures. One horizontal program shall be prepared. Centralization of the programming process is justified by the fact that the majority of planned measure instruments are horizontal in their nature and the process may hardly be transferred to the regional level because of their complexity. The planned wide set of tools shall implement strategy priorities at the national level with consideration given to the regional needs. The strategy and its priorities reflect the needs and opportunities both at the national and regional level (NTS II) and at the local level (NTS V). The National Strategic Plan is submitted to the European Commission before the Operational Programme Rural Areas Development for 2007-2013 is submitted for approval. National Strategic Plan was subject to consultation process, including inter-ministerial agreements, as well as to consultation with socio-economic players, representatives of local self-government, trade unions, NGOs (including those engaged in environment protection) and professional organizations. The list of entities which received NSP for consultation constitutes Annex 1. National Strategic Plan was subject to ex-ante evaluation, as well as to strategic evaluation of environmental impact. The results of abovementioned evaluations are contained in 2007-2013 Rural Development Plan. The National Strategic plan utilises selected base indicators on the basis of Common Framework of Monitoring and Evaluation. 3 Chapter 1. Analysis of the economic, social and environmental situation in agriculture and setting the fundamental base indicators As a result of World War II Poland has suffered great losses in population (about 6 million), property and lost part of its territory. Despite the fact that Poland was among the winning countries, it remained under the influence of the Soviet Union, which for dozens of years had determined directions and possibilities of economic and social development. To this day Poland has been making up for the economic lags and lack of democratic freedoms, among other things by implementing a number of European Union strategies and policies, above all in the field of industry, transport, infrastructure, agriculture and environmental protection, and also in matters relating to strengthening social structures based on democratic foundations. It should at the same time be emphasized that changes relating to transformation are viewed positively by the majority of the society, but to some they are associated by a number of alarming phenomena, such as poverty, necessity to adjust to the changing cultural and social circumstances, which is especially difficult for the elderly people and among the rural population. Poland is diversified spatially in terms of natural and climatic conditions, in terms of economic development including leading economy branches, which determine the quality of life of its inhabitants, as well as prospects of their functioning. Numerous regions in Poland have agricultural character and the basic economic activity is linked with this sector. Natural and demographic conditions Poland is a lowland country. Almost 96 % of its territory is situated below 350 meters above the sea level, and only 2.9% % is above 500 meters a.s.l. (CSO, 20051). The whole country remains in the impact zone of continental and maritime (Atlantic) climate. The surface area of Poland is 31.268.5 ha and its population in 2005 was 38,157 thousand people, i.e. 8.3% of the total population of the European Union (EU-25).The rural areas are inhabited by 38.6% of the total population, i.e. 14,733 thousand people, out of which 7,334 thousand are male and 7,399 thousand are female (CSO, 2006). The average population density in Poland is 122 persons/km2 whereas in the cities it is 1,098 persons/km2 and 51 persons/km2 in the rural areas (CSO, 2006). The population density indicator fluctuates around the average value for this indicator determined for the whole European Union, where it is 117 persons/km2 (Eurostat, 2005). In comparison to other European countries, the population of Poland is still young (in a demographic sense), however, the median age becomes higher every year; at the beginning of the 1990s it was 34 for women and 31 for men; in 2005 - it was approximately 39 and 35, respectively. The average age of rural inhabitants is almost 35. The ratio of persons in non-working age to persons in working age amounts to about 65 (52 in urban areas). Polish economy The following set of indicators relating to Polish economy provides a background for the situation in rural areas in social, economic and environmental aspects: 1 All statistical data were taken from up-to-date sources as of the day the National Strategic Plan was prepared. 4 Indicator 12 Indicator Measurement Year Unit Poland EU-25 Average from 2003 Gross Domestic Product per capita 48.5 – 2005 in PPS, expressed as % of the 100 Economic development 2003 % 46.9 average, EU-25 = 100, three-year 2004 48.7 average. 2005 49.7 Poland is one of poorer EU Member States. In 2005 the economic development of Poland expressed in terms of GDP per capita according to purchasing power parity was barely 49.7% of the average for that period in 25 EU countries. However, higher GDP dynamics as compared with the EU-15 allows to reduce the gap between the EU average and Poland. Indicator 3 Indicator Measurement Year Unit Poland EU-25 Unemployment rate, i.e. the ratio of 2005 17.7 8.7 Unemployment the unemployed to the total number % 2006 13.8 7.9 of professionally active persons Indicator 2 Indicator Measurement Year Unit Poland EU-25 The ratio of the employed between 2005 52.8 63.8 Employment rate the ages of 15 and 64 to the total of % 2006 54.5 persons in the same age group The situation on the labour market in Poland is gradually improving. Following a very high rate, i.e. 20.6%, of registered unemployment recorded at the beginning of 2003, the figure systematically decreases to reach 17.7% in 2005 and 13.8% in 2006 (CSO). Despite favourable trends observed in the recent years the unemployment rate on such a high level is a very disadvantageous phenomenon both for economic and social reasons, and at the same time it results from the existing demographical infrastructure which for dozens of years has been shaped by two post-war baby booms. Moreover, the unemployment in Poland is characterised by constant negative features concerning education and place of residence. Despite the improvement of the results, the situation of Poland among the EU countries has not changed significantly. Taking into account the unemployment rate for the EU Member States, the Republic of Poland is at one of the last places. The unemployment rate is twice as high as the average for the whole EU. Rural areas – general characteristics Rural areas constitute 93.2% of the area of the country (CSO, 2006) and therefore they are of huge importance from the economic, social and environmental point of view. The rural areas in the Republic of Poland are defined as those situated out of the cities’ administrative boundaries which means that they are rural gminas or rural parts of urban-rural gminas. The sectioning of the parts of combined urban-rural municipalities, i.e. a city and a rural area which have different territorial identifiers allows for statistical data to be collected and presented according to the breakdown into city and countryside. The definition of rural areas may in justified cases be extended to small urban localities with close functional links to rural areas. Though this definition is based on the administrative division of Poland, in Polish conditions it largely corresponds to the OECD definition of rural areas which is based on population density of less than 150 persons/km2. Using such approach would mean that rural areas in Poland cover 91%. Division of Territorial Units for Statistics (NTS) in Poland constitutes Annex 3. 2 The numbers of indicators are provided according to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1974/2006 of 15 December 2006 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) (OJ EU L 368, p.
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