General
The implementation of ‘information and publicity’ actions relating to the interventions of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) under the Rural Development Programme (RDP) is both an obligation of the programme managing authority as it derives from the regulations, but also a prerequisite for the proper and successful implementation of the programme.
Publicity and information principles.
Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005, as amended and in force, on support for rural development by the EAFRD, in particular Article 76 ‘Information and publicity’, provides that Member States shall provide information and create publicity on their National Rural Development Strategic Plans, Rural Development Programmes and Community contribution. This information shall be addressed to the general public. It shall promote the role of the community and ensure the transparency of EAFRD assistance.
The same article also provides that the managing authority of the programme shall be responsible for its publicity, as follows:
(a) inform potential beneficiaries, professional organisations, economic and social partners, bodies involved in promoting equality between men and women and the non-governmental organisations concerned, including environmental organisations, of the possibilities offered by the Programme and the rules governing access to funding from it;
(b) inform the beneficiaries of the Community contribution; and
(c) inform the public about the role played by the Community in the Programmes and their results.
B. Commission Regulation (EC) No 1974/2006, as amended and in force, laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 on support for rural development by the EAFRD, states inter alia that:
1 rural development programmes shall include a communication plan which provides for:
(a) objectives and target groups;
(b) the content and communication strategy, as well as information measures, indicating the measures to be taken;
(c) its indicative budget;
(D) the administrative departments or bodies responsible for its implementation;
(e) the criteria to be used to assess the impact of information and publicity measures on the transparency, visibility of rural development programmes and the role played by the community.
2 the amount earmarked for information and publicity may be included in the technical assistance component of rural development programmes.
Article 59 of the same Regulation states that at meetings of the monitoring committee set up in accordance with Article 77 of Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005, its chairman shall report on the progress of the implementation of the information and publicity measures and provide the members of the monitoring committee with examples of such measures.
Annex VI to Regulation (EC) No 1974/2006 provides, inter alia, that the managing authority of the programme is to be responsible for its publicity, as follows:
— ensure that the programme is widely published with details of EAFRD funding and then distributed to all stakeholders;
— provide potential beneficiaries with clear, detailed and up-to-date information on the administrative procedures to be followed, a description of the procedures for examining applications for funding, the conditions and/or eligibility criteria for the selection and evaluation of the projects to be funded, the names of those responsible or contact points at national, regional or local level to explain the programme;
— directs, supports and supervises the bodies implementing the acts and informs them of the publicity rules and their obligations;
— monitor compliance with the obligations of implementing bodies to publicise and provide information on the operations they carry out,
— ensure the participation of bodies which can act as relays of information in the information measures for potential beneficiaries, in particular regional and local authorities, professional organisations, economic and social partners, non-governmental organisations (in particular the promotion of equality between men and women and environmental protection bodies), Euroinformation centres and committee delegations in the Member States.
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