Czech Republic

General country description
A. First pillar: implementation of CAP reforms (2003)
B. Second pillar: implementation of RDP measures during 2007-2013
C. Vision for the CAP beyond 2013: a short overview of the debate (at Member State level) on future CAP reform
D. Literature, sources, references
The comparative analysis provides a compact overview of CAP implementation across all 27 Member States and their visions of the future of the CAP

General country discription

Czech Republic
Comparison with EU-25

Population, 2005 (*1,000,000): 10.2

2.2% of population in EU-25

Population density, 2003 (inh./km2): 132

118 in EU-25

GDP/capita, 2005 (PPS): 17,200

74% of GDP/capita in EU-25

Share agriculture in total employment, 2002 (%): 4

5% in EU-25

Share Utilized Agricultural Area in total land area, 2003 (%): 47

46% in EU-25 in 1998

Average farm size, 2005 (ha): 134

19 in EU-15

Number of farms, 2005 (*1000): 26.4

0.4% of farms in EU-25

Source: own calculations based on Eurostat

Distribution of farming types, 2005 (% of total)

Source: own calculations based on Eurostat

EU funding for the Single Payment Scheme (SPS)
and the second pillar, 2007-2013

Funding according to CAP budget including Bulgaria and Romania.
Sources: Agra Europe (2007); CEU (2006); EC (2007a)

 

A. First pillar: implementation CAP reform (2003)

A.1 Single Payment Scheme

Model

Implementation in 2009. SAPS

Coupling measures

Seperate sugar payments

Reason for selection

No information

A.2 EU budget for Single Payment Scheme (SPS) per year (National ceiling) 2005-2013

Source: 2005: EC (2006); 2006-2013: CEU (2006) and Agra Europe (2007)

Tradability of SPS

No information

A.3 A.3 Cross-compliance: Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) ()

Selected standards of the GAEC

Issue
Standards
Summary of farmers’ obligations

Soil erosion

Minimum soil cover

Exclusion of growing crops prone to soil erosion

 

minimum land management reflecting site-specific conditions

No destruction of landscape features as terraces, hedgerows etc.

 

retain terraces

 

soil organic matter

arable stubble management

No burning of plant residues

soil structure

 

 

protection of permanent pastures

 

Rules are under discussion, the conversion of grassland into arable land is forbidden

minimum level of maintenance

retention of landscape features

No destruction of landscape features as terraces, hedgerows etc.

 

 

No conversion of arable land to grassland

 

 

Applications of liquid manure must be incorporated into the soil

Source: Cross-Compliance in Central and Eastern European Countries

Czech Republic concentrates on avoiding erosion by protecting landscape features.

Reason for selection of cross compliance standards

No information.

A.4 Further reform of market regulations

No information.

 

B. Second pillar: implementation of RDP measures 2007-2013

B.1 Programme level and approval

There is one national RDP. The Rural Development Committee (consisting of representatives of the 27 Member States) has approved the RDP for the Czech Republic on 23 May 2007.

B.2 Distribution of public budget over the axes (%) 1)

axis 1: competitiveness

axis 2: environment and land management

axis 3: rural economy

Axis 4: Leader

23

54

18

5

1) Figures excluding Technical Assistance
Source: Own calculations based on Ministerstvo zemedelství Ceské Republiky (2007)

B.3 Integration of Leader in axes 1, 2 and 3

Leader contributes to all three axes.

B.4 Local Action Groups (LAGs)

The first 29 LAGs have been set up under Leader+ in 2004 and 2005. In total there were 36 LAGs in the period 2004-2006. The LAGs covered 12,414 km2, which is 16% of the territory of the Czech Republic, and represent a population of 743,000 , 7% of the population of the Czech Republic. It is expected that in 2007 about 70 local action groups will be prepared, and totally about 133 local action groups in the process of formation are registered.

B.5 RDP budget 2007-2013 (million euros)

total public budget

% co-financing EAFRD1)

EAFRD budget

Contribution private sector

Total costs

National top-ups

3615.8

78

2815.5

986.6

4602.4

0

1) % of co-financing may vary per axis
Source: Ministerstvo zemedelství Ceské Republiky (2007)

B.6 Less Favoured Areas

In 2005, 50% of the Utilized Agricultural Area (UAA) (2,034,000 ha) was classified as Less Favoured Area (LFA) (CEU, 2005).

B.7 Drivers of RDP strategy

Fit within national policy.

The Rural Development Programme fits within the national agricultural policy and the Regional Development Strategy of the Czech Republic.*

 

* Information provided by Marie Horvathová, Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, Prague.

 

C. Vision on the CAP beyond 2013*

C.1 Stages in the development of the CAP debate

Is there a debate about the CAP beyond 2013?

No, there is hardly any debate. The attitude towards the CAP is mainly affected by the current political parties in the government, i.e. liberal and reform oriented. A maximum financial benefit from the CAP is aimed at.

C. 2 Key issues in the debate

Contents of the CAP

 

* Info provided by Patricia M.B. de Vries, Counsellor for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.

 

D. Literature, sources, references

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