An opportunity of advance for EU candidate countries: SAPARD as a learning programme

Czárl, Adrienn – Gyenge, Balázs

The preparation for EU accession requires significant efforts of both candidate countries and member states. SAPARD is one of the programs whose aim is to facilitate this process in one of the most difficult fields, agriculture and rural development, supporting them in learning EU standards, the ways of their applications and adaptation in order to obtain subsidies. There are significant differences between EU member states and candidate countries, and even among the latter, which means that there is a lot to be done in order to conform to EU requirements.

The present paper focuses on finding coherences and deviations among the ten EU candidate countries in the light of their SAPARD Plans. Two different types of investigations were made: firstly, a principal component analysis was carried out using the distribution of the SAPARD support to all candidate countries; and secondly, a SWOT analysis of one of the significant measures, “The improvement of the processing and marketing of agricultural and fishery products”, was carried out.

In the course of the preparation for EU accession one of the main requirements is that the candidate countries must close up to EU standards in the agricultural sector. However, the creation of a sustainable and profitable agriculture and the increase in the number of saleable products are difficult if marketing elements are lacking.

EU market access by new products is impossible without subsidies. In addition, the general objectives and resources related to marketing as laid down in the SAPARD Plans are insufficient. National supports are required along with new organisations capable of helping the creation of an entire marketing chain between the producers and the costumers.

In connection with the numerous problems mentioned above it is important to note that most of them will cease after EU accession. The significance of SAPARD is a learning program is that it helps the countries to reflect on where problems arise and of what kind they are. Furthermore, it will help to study how the EU application system works and indicate which items of market development deserve more support and attention.

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