2014-2022 Rural Development Programme

The 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme (RDP) entails six EU priority areas, sub-divided in a total of 18 focus areas.  The consultation process and preparations leading up to the drafting of the new programme also identified five main needs for the Maltese agricultural sector, namely: 

• Water, waste and energy
• Maltese quality produce
• Sustainable livestock
• Landscape and environment, and
• A wider rural economy and quality of life.

These needs were translated into the most suitable measures selected by the Managing Authority and are included in this Programme.

It is important to note that:

• A minimum of 30% of the total RDP budget will be earmarked for actions which contribute to the achievement of EU-wide climate change targets;
• The new programme will not support interventions carried out to conform to obligatory standards, unless these standards are newly introduced throughout the life of the programme;
• The eligibility of expenditure which can be claimed by beneficiaries will commence on the date of signing of the relevant grant agreement, and not before.

The total RDP budget for this Programming Period has a total of more than €196 million, including transitional and EURI budget, an increase of nearly €96 million from the RDP 2007-2013.  25% of this total will be covered by the Maltese Government, while the remaining amount will be provided by the European Commission under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

For current Open Calls, please visit this page while the block procedure time table for all the measures can be access here.