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
- Capping of single farm payments of large farms is unfair and could cause large holdings to split up in order to avoid aid caps (Agra Europe, 2008).
* Info provided by Patricia M.B. de Vries, Counsellor for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.
D. Literature, sources, references
- Agra Europe (2007), "Threat of SFP cuts rises as NMS accede", Agra Europe Weekly, January 12
- Agra Europe (2008), "Council split over modulation, aid capping", Agra Europe Weekly, January 25
- Council of the European Union (CEU) (2005), Proposal for a Council Regulation on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) - redefinition of intermediate less-favoured areas, Brussels, Working Party on Agricultural Structures and Rural Development, working document (7971/05), 15 April
- Council of the European Union (CEU) (2006), Council Regulation 1782/2003 (consolidated version - August 5, 2006), Annex VIII and VIIIa, Brussels
- European Commission (EC) (2006), 35th Financial Report on the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, Guarantee section, 2005 Financial Year, SEC(2006)1152
- European Commission (EC) (2007a), EU support for rural development 2007-2013; Pre-allocated funding under Heading 2 "Natural Resources" of the Financial Framework, Brussels: European Commission
- European Commission (EC) (2007b), Overview of the implementation of direct payments under the CAP in Member States Version November 2007, EC, DG for Agriculture and Rural Development
- IREAS Institute for Structural policy (2004), Cross-Compliance in Central and Eastern European Countries
- Ministerstvo zemedelství Ceské Republiky (2007), Program Rozvoje Venkova Ceské Republiky Na Období 2007-2013, version 24 May 2007
