Press Release: Farm aid: Go-ahead for EUR 520 million agreements with candidate countries

On 29.11.00, the European Commission authorised the Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries Franz Fischler, to sign the Multi-annual and Annual Financing Agreements with the candidate countries. This is an important step in the process of providing the €520 million worth pre-accession aid for agriculture and rural development (SAPARD). The Multi-annual Financing Agreements lay down the detailed provisions for delegating the management of the rural development programmes to the candidate countries, covering the necessary financial control rules. This is the first time in the history of the EU that external aid will be managed on a fully decentralised basis, requiring an enormous legislative and administrative effort on both sides.