1. Technical meeting for LFA in Bulgaria MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY National Program for Rural Development in Bulgaria - 2007-2013 Bonn, Germany June 2007

2. General information   Territory: total area 110,910 km 2  Agricultural land: 50.7% of the total territory  Forests cover 33.1% of the total territory  Utilized agricultural land: 5.3 million ha (48 % of country territory)  4% of the UAA are perennial crops  34% of the UAA is grassland

3. Geographical scope of the measures –Priority Axis 1 – the whole country; –Priority Axis 2 – different scope depending on the type of the measures; –Priority Axis 3 – rural areas; –Priority Axis 4 – at local level for implementation of the local development strategies in rural areas

4. Proposal for a financial allocation by priority Axes in the NSP 2007-2013 Priority Axes % from the budget EARFD amount (MEuro) National (MEuro) Total public (MEuro) Priority Axis 140% 985,45 246,36 1 231,81 Priority Axis 226% 640,54 140,61 781,15 Priority Axis 330% 739,09 184,77 923,86 Priority Axis 42,5% 61,59 15,40 76,99 Technical assistance 4% 98,55 24,63 123,18 Complements to Direct Payments 145,47 36,37 181,84

5. Proposal for measures Axis 1 Measures aimed at improving human potential: Vocational training and informational actions for persons engaged in the agricultural and forestry sectors; Setting up of young farmers; Use of advisory services by farmers and forest holders Measures aimed at restructuring physical potential: Modernization of agricultural holdings; Improving the economic value of forests; Adding value to agricultural and forestry products; Cooperation for development of new products, processes and technologies in the agriculture and food sector and in the forestry sector; Improving and developing infrastructure related to the development and adaptation of agriculture and forestry. Transitional measures for new member – states: Semi – subsistence farming; Setting up of producer groups;

6. Proposal for measures Axis 2 a)Measures targeting the sustainable use of agricultural land: Natural handicap payments to farmers in mountain areas; Payments to farmers in areas with handicaps, other than mountain areas; Payments under Natura 2000 for agricultural lands Agri-environmental payments;

7. Criteria for LFA in Bulgaria following the technical meetings with EC 1. Mountain LFA s TBS, which have: an average altitude over 700 m. an average slope over 20 % (11.3°) a combination of the both factors: an average altitude between 500 and 700m, and an average slope over 15% (8.3°) homogenization: at least 75% of the borders to be surrounded by mountain LF defined by the first 3 criteria According to these criteria 1744 are mountainous TBS, 969 under the altitude criteria(over 600m) 632 under the slope criteria of the territory (over 11.3°) 85 under the combination criteria 58 under the principle of homogeneity They cover 38,70% of the territory of the country and 23,92% of the Agricultural Land Fund

9. Other LFAs TBS with low soil fertility – the average weighted category of the agricultural land in the TBS is higher than 6 (average for the country is 5,3) According to this criteria were defined - 552 TBS with low soil fertility Other LFAs cover 9,43% of the territory of the country and 9,73% of the Agricultural Land Fund

14. Proposal for measures Axis 2 b) Measures targeting the sustainable use of forestry land: First afforistation of non-agricultural land; Restoring forestry potential and introducing prevention actions Payments under Natura 2000 for forests

15. Proposal for measures Axis 3 a)Measures to diversify the rural economy: Diversification into non-agricultural activities; Encouragement of Tourism Activities; Support for the Creation and Development of Micro- Enterprises b) Measures to improve the quality of life in rural areas: Basic services for the economy and rural population; Village renewal and development;

16. Proposal for measures Axis 4 a)Implementation of the local development strategies; b)Inter-Territorial and Trans-National Cooperation ; c)Running Costs, Acquisition of Skills and Animation.

17. Thank you for your attention! Vyara STEFANOVA Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Agri-Environment Department Phone: ++ 359 2 98511 408 Fax: ++ 359 2 980 38 54 E-mail: v.stefanova@mzgar.government.bg