RURAL DEVELOPMENT : THIRD WAVE OF AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL AND TELECOMS PROJECTS LAUNCHED.

An additional amount of about 4.6 billion will be injected into the economy of rural areas and agriculture, thanks to rural development programmes being undertaken in member states, whose amendments were approved, on 16 December 2009, by the Rural Development Committee. This is the third wave of proposals from member states/regions for using the EU's recovery plan, Common Agricultural Policy health check' funding and other transfers within the CAP.

Between October and December, 80 rural development programmes were modified and the additional funding is now ready to be invested in agriculture, the environment and broadband in rural areas. This time, the Rural Development Committee approved 37 of these modifications (five national and 32 regional). The majority of the funds will be concentrated in the areas of biodiversity, water management, climate change...