Improving the territories in the context of the Bulgaria's rural development program 2014-2020

The improvement of the Bulgarian rural areas is a matter of great public interest and raises a number of questions related to the theory and practice of its implementation. The development of these territories is predominantly determined by the Rural Development Program which is designed in the context of national challenges and opportunities.

The Rural Development Program is being implemented in our country for the second programming period 2014-2020 and addresses different aspects of socio- economic development: ensuring the viability of farms and the competitiveness of all types of agriculture, promoting innovative agricultural technologies and sustainable management of forests, processing and commerce with agricultural products, animal welfare and risk management in agriculture, restoring, preserving and strengthening of ecosystems related to agriculture and forestry, ensuring encouragement of resource efficiency and support in the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy in the farming, food and forestry sectors, encouragement of social inclusion, reduction in poverty, and economic development in rural areas [1].

In Bulgaria, as rural areas are defined the municipalities where there is no settlement of more than 30,000 people. According to this definition, out of a total of 265 municipalities in our country, 232 municipalities are classified as rural areas. They cover 39% of the population and occupy 81% of its territory [1, p.171].

The Rural Development Program 2014-2020 can be seen as an instrument for achieving the goals contained in the strategies and plans for the development of the national economy taking into account as much as possible the existing economic and socio-political situation and inline with the European policies in the field of Agriculture and rural development.

The Rural Development Program serves to achieve the long-term goals of the economic and social development of our country through its impact on the immediate producers or business entities. In order not to limit the initiative of private business and entrepreneurs but to help them to form the general course of development. Within the Program, an upper limit of EUR 200 000 is applied as an amount of de minimis aid which a given enterprise may receive from one of the EU Member State for each period of three years. It is considered that this can ensure that there is no impact on trade between Member States and no distortion of competition [2].

According to the Strategic Planning Methodology in the Republic of Bulgaria which defines the time horizon and the types of strategic planning documents used in our country's management practice, the Rural Development Program is a medium-term document [3]. We believe that the Rural Development Program 2014-2020, as an instrument for improving the territories, ensures the process of carrying out a complex of interconnected activities for the period aimed at achieving certain financial, economic, scientific and technical, social, environmental and other results. Its main task is the implementation of strategic solutions that ensure the effective development of the territory in the long run for all sectors and spheres of activity in rural areas as well as the economic, ecological and social processes taking place in their territorial borders. The effect of the implementation of the Program is multiplied in our country and in the European Union as a whole due to the narrow and growing economic relations between the member states.

The Rural Development Program 2014-2020 highlights the following main aspects:

• -    defining perspectives for sustainable rural development;

• -    selection of implementation measures, including alternative ones and a combination of measures;

• -    monitoring and control of the implementation process.

The Rural Development Program 2014-2020 should be seen as a system of ideas for the strategic choice, strategic objectives and priorities for rural development in Bulgaria, for the main aspects of the local socio-economic policy in its individual components and the means of realization.

Our country has set quantitative targets in the Rural Development Program in terms of target areas and measures to achieve these objectives and how much funding is provided for each measure. At least 30% of the funding for each rural development program shall be allocated to environmental and climate change measures and at least 5% for the Leader initiative (Links between the rural economy and the development activities). This is pre-determinant for determining program objectives that are inline with the EU's policy objectives for rural development for the period 2014-2020:

• -    enhancing the competitiveness and balanced development of agriculture and forestry, manufacturing;

• -    protecting ecosystems and sustainable use of natural resources in agriculture, forestry and the food industry, climate change prevention and adaptation,

• -    socio-economic development of rural areas providing new jobs, reducing poverty, ensuring social inclusion and a better quality of life [1].

It is noted that the third objective of the Program is directly aimed at stimulation of the socio-economic development of rural areas. It supports interventions in three priority areas to jointly develop economic potential, preserve demographic potential and contribute to the social inclusion of vulnerable groups and the Roma, thus stimulating economic recovery and reduction in depopulation and managing the process of social exclusion.

The review reveals the following important aspects:

• -    The Rural Development Program 2014-2020 provides the opportunity for implemention of strategic decisions related to rural development in the context of constantly changing external and internal factors that determine this development;

• -    rural areas are assigned with important functions in ensuring sustainable socio-economic development and increasing the investment attractiveness of Bulgaria;

• -    the complex of interconnected and alternative measures set out in the Program, which are in a position to make the territory attractive to all and by all parties, should be seen as a source leading towards improvement of the rural areas;

In this respect, the Rural Development Program 2014-2020 can be considered as one of the most important components of the process of socio-economic development of rural areas in Bulgaria. The improvement of rural areas is largely conditioned by the implementation of the Program which serves as a necessary basis for progress and enhancement of their attractiveness.