Rural Development Programme

The Rural Development Programme is made up of a range of measures that help in the achievement of the rural development policy objectives set out in Council Regulation (EC) 1698/2005 that regulates support provided for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). After an extensive consultation process with local rural actors and stakeholders, the difficulties and priorities of local rural areas have been highlighted in the National Rural Strategy Plan which then where translated into specific targets to be supported under the Rural Development Programme for this current programming period.

Although the regulation mentioned previously sets out common objectives and principles (referred to as the ‘Axes’ in the Programme) under which support to rural areas has to be provided in the Rural Development Programmes of the EU, it provides flexibility and targeted approach such that individual programmes focus directly on the needs and priorities of that particular territory. The three main objectives of the Rural Development Programme for 2007-2013 are:

• Enhancing the economic viability through investment and modernisation;
• Preserving the rural environment and the countryside;
• Supporting the wider rural economy and quality of life in rural areas.

The overall objective of Malta’s Rural Development Programme is to promote multifunctional agriculture within a wider framework of integrated rural development so as to achieve the sustainable development of rural areas in Malta. The main focus is to explore the potential of the agricultural and rural sectors, the diversification of the rural economy while ensuring the sustainable use of natural resources and preservation of the environment.

The primary rural policy objective for the current programming period for the Maltese territory is to have a deliverable programme that values the strengths of local agriculture and rural sectors and that at the same time recognises and addresses their needs and weaknesses in order to help these sectors become more sustainable.

The total public funding for the Rural Development Programme for Malta 2007-2013 amounts to €101,611,140. The national contribution (i.e. from the Maltese Government) is of €23,957,785 while that from the European Union amounts to €77,653,355, financed from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). The budget is divided between the five axes of the programme wherein each axis is allocated a share to be used under a number of measures that should lead to the realisation of the final objectives of the Rural Development Programme. 

Download Programme