European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) - state of play in December 2018

Subject: European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) - state of play in December 2018

 What is the position regarding the uptake of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) in Croatia for the 2014-2020 period as at the end of 2018 in absolute and relative terms?

 What is the execution rate for direct payments in Croatia in 2018?

Answer given by Mr Hogan on behalf of the European Commission

(26 March 2019)

The Commission formally adopted the Croatian Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020 on 26 May 2015 with a total budget of around EUR 2.4 billion (EUR 2 026 million from the EU budget and EUR 357 million of national funding).

Up to the end of December 2018, the Croatian authorities declared to the Commission the eligible expenditure amounting to approximately EUR 541.7 million, i.e. 26.7% of EU funds allocated to the programme, compared with the EU average of 33.4%.

For the implementation of the programme, the Commission paid Croatia a pre-financing of EUR 60.8 million and reimbursed all eligible expenditure declared of EUR 541.7 million. The total payments made to Croatia thus amounts to EUR 602.5 million.

On 31 January 2019, the Croatian authorities submitted a new declaration of expenditure for the fourth quarter of 2018, which amounts to EUR 87.3 million of public funds. The Commission paid the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) part of EUR 74.5 million in February 2019. After the latest declaration, the execution rate stands at 30.4% compared to the EU average of 39%.

Before declaring eligible RDP expenditure to the Commission the Croatian authorities need to contract respective amounts with programme beneficiaries (Croatian farmers, processing industries, local authorities etc.) and, once they implement foreseen investments and services, pay out the Croatian RDP funds to those beneficiaries. As for 31 January 2019, the contracting and execution rates at national level stand at 58% and 32% respectively.

Execution rate of direct payments in Croatia: in financial year 2018, Croatia executed 99.7% of the net ceiling for direct payments as set in Annex III to Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 (1).

⋅1∙ OJ L 347, 20.12.2013. | | ( | | )