site.btaAgriculture Ministry Launches Consultations with Industry on Criteria for Supporting Innovative Projects under Strategic Plan

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has launched a consultation process with stakeholders on the draft criteria for selecting applications for support under two key interventions of the Strategic Plan for the Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas 2023-2027. - “Support for operational groups within the European Economic Area (second step)” and “Cooperation for short supply chains.” In line with the established practice of open dialogue and partnership approach in the development of the Plan documents, the Governing Body invited representatives of industry organizations to a thematic working group dedicated to discussing the proposed criteria and the opinions received, the Agriculture Ministry said here on Thursday.

The Governing Body's head, Deputy Agriculture Minister Lozana Vasileva, emphasized the importance of the upcoming actions. She pointed out that the team is actively working on the implementation of the indicative program, noting that two interventions are planned to start in the fall - one for innovation and one for short supply chains. "In this regard, we have planned a meeting of the Monitoring Committee for early September, at which we expect the selection criteria to be voted on, and then we will move on to a working group to discuss the guidelines for applications," she said during the meeting. Vasileva emphasized that the main goal is to agree on the criteria with the industry in advance to ensure transparency and effectiveness in the implementation of the measures.

The total budget for the innovation intervention is EUR 40 million, with EUR 30 million earmarked for the implementation of actual innovative projects. Most of these will be allocated as available budget during the first call for proposals in the fall. A total of EUR 9.5 million has been earmarked for the "Cooperation for short supply chains" intervention, with which the call for proposals for the intervention will be announced by the end of this year. The aim is not only to encourage innovation and applied research projects in agriculture and forestry, but also to create conditions for the direct sale of products from producers to consumers.

The draft selection criteria for the short supply chain intervention provide for priority to be given to applications submitted by associations involving small and young farmers, as well as to applicants involved in organic production. Additional points will be awarded to projects involving a larger number of partners and those offering products from priority sectors - milk and dairy products, meat, honey and bee products, fruit and vegetables. Funding will be awarded to projects that score at least 15 points on the selection criteria.

With regard to the intervention to support operational groups within the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) second step, it is proposed that the minimum eligibility threshold be 35 points. The selection criteria are based on an assessment of the quality of innovative projects, an assessment of the participants in the operational groups, the impact of the projects in relation to the objectives set out in the strategic plan, and an assessment of the methods for disseminating the results of the projects.

In conclusion, Deputy Minister Vasileva expressed her confidence that through open and constructive dialogue with representatives of the agricultural sector, workable and objective criteria will be developed to ensure the effective implementation of interventions and the achievement of the objectives set out in the Strategic Plan.