20.03.2017

According to the European regulation on rural development support, a new delimitation of what constitutes areas with natural constraints (ANCs) must be undertaken by 2018 at the latest. This new delimitation includes a fine-tuning of these areas to exclude those that have overcome natural constraints, for example through investment or economic activities.

To provide information on how this adjustment will be implemented, the MAPAMA Directorate-General for Rural Development and Forestry Policy organized a workshop entitled "Fine-tuning the definition of ZLN in the 2014-2020 RDPs" on March 14. This workshop was attended by representatives from the Ministry, the regional governments, and the European Commission.

The workshop focused on the analysis of fine-tuning the definition and delimitation of LNAs; its implications within the framework of the first pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP); and, in particular, the definition of LNAs and the coordination of fine-tuning in Spain. As an example of good practice, the Basque Foundation Hazi, under the Department of Economic Development and Competitiveness of the Basque Government, presented its experience with fine-tuning using economic criteria, a project that generated great interest among the attendees.

The afternoon session focused on dialogue among participants and the morning presentations, focusing on three main issues: general aspects of modifying rural development programs to include this issue and general topics related to the measurement of areas with natural constraints (formerly known as compensatory allowance); the impact of the fine-tuning of the NLAs carried out in the second pillar of the CAP on the first pillar; and a technical section on fine-tuning indicators for areas with natural constraints.

The workshop's conclusions focused on issues of timing, procedure, and the use of criteria, as well as the approval date for the delimitation: the new delimitation's effective date must coincide with the deadline for the single application for CAP aid in 2018. Furthermore, and prior to the informal dialogue with the Commission, the autonomous communities will send the final adjustments to the Ministry, where they will align the work carried out by the regional government's management authorities.

Finally, it was concluded that there are many criteria that can be raised in the discussion, provided they link agricultural production and activity with the biophysical criteria that define the zones and conform to the framework established by the European Commission in its legislative texts.

All the information about the day is available at the following link