that's $ 300 million australian/year and some goes for...

that's $ 300 million australian/year and some goes for environment protection
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SAPARD Agency accredited by European Commission
Agency starts operations today



by Serban Georgescu



Bucharest - SAPARD Agency of Romania was accredited on Tuesday by the European Commission for the support of the programmes, “Improvement of agricultural and fishery product processing and marketing” and “Development and improvement of rural infrastructure,” informs the Ministry of European Integration. Thus, Romania will benefit, in 2000-2006, from non-refundable financing of around 153 M euro per year for the improvement of the living standard in rural areas, of the quality and competitiveness of agricultural products and food, as well as for environmental protection and conservation of the natural patrimony.

European Integration Minister Hildegard Puwak, the national coordinator of the programmes of non-refundable financial assistance granted to Romania by the EU, considers that this stage in the development of the SAPARD Programme demonstrates the firm committment of the Romanian government to restructure the agricultural sector with a view to developing the viable agricultural entities, and the capacity of the food industry to implement the health and hygiene standards of the European Union. The SAPARD Programme, as a pre-accession financial instrument, can spur durable development of the rural zones, representing a model of intervention for the enforcement of strategies and development programmes in agriculture and the rural area, estimates Hildegard Puwak. “Starting on August 1, the SAPARD Agency becomes fully operational, while the development of the SAPARD programme for agriculture and the rural environment starts with what the government decided last week: filing the applications for funds and the selection thereof in accordance with procedures already agreed to with the European Commission,” Minister Hildegard Puwak announced on Wednesday. Starting August 1, the potential beneficiaries can file the applications for funding with the 8 Regional Bureaus for the Implementation of the SAPARD Programme, in the following cities: Iasi, Constanta, Targoviste, Craiova, Timisoara, Satu Mare, Alba Iulia and Bucharest.

The European Integration Minister also stressed that concurrentlsteps will be taken to obtain accreditation of the other measures. “I deem this particularly important, because agriculture and rural development are the priorities included by the government of Romania in its ruling programme for 2001-2004, and the support received by us every year will stimulate the agricultural producers in order fot the performance of our agriculture and the negotiations in relation with the chapter on agriculture advance in accordance with the established calendar,” added Minister Puwak.

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