Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 814/2000 on information measures relating to the common agricultural policy {SEC(2009) 684}
Date: 2009-05-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, common agricultural policy, disclosure of information, information, invitation to tender, public awareness campaign

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 20.5.2009 
COM(2009) 237 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

on the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 814/2000  
on information measures relating to the common agricultural policy 

{SEC(2009) 684} 

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REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

on the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 814/2000  
on information measures relating to the common agricultural policy 

I. 

Introduction 

This  report  concerns  the  implementation  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 814/2000  for  the 
period 2007–2008. 

The  objectives  of  the  information  measures  on  the  CAP  as  defined  by  Regulation  (EC) 
No 814/2000 are: 

•  helping to explain the CAP as well as to implement and develop it, 

•  promoting the European Model of Agriculture and helping people understand it, 

•  providing information for farmers and others living in rural areas, 

•  raising public awareness of the issues and objectives of the CAP. 

Actions fall into two main categories: 

•  those  submitted  by  third  party  organisations  for  co-financing  by  EAGF  which  may  be 

annual work programmes and specific measures (grants), 

•  those  at  the  initiative  of  the  Commission  and  financed  at  a  rate  of  100%  by  EAGF 

("direct actions"). 

It was decided by the Council (Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 814/2000) that a report on the 
implementation  of  the  Regulation  should  be  presented  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the 
Council  every  two  years.  This  is  the  third  such  report.  The  first  report  covering  the  period 
2000–2002 was presented in May 20031. The second report on the 2003-2006 period appeared 
in June 20072. 

The  annexes  mentioned  in  the  text  are  to  be  found  in  the  accompanying  Commission  Staff 
Working Document. 

II. 

Budget 

For  2007,  the  same  budget  (€6.5  million)  as  2006  was  made  available  for  information 
measures under budget line 05 08 06. In 2008, this budget was increased to €7 million. 

The breakdown between actions to be taken at the initiative of the Commission and actions to 
be co-financed (grants) was as follows: 

2006: direct actions (€3 700 000) (5 7%) – grants (€2 800 000) (43%) 

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2 

Report  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  on  the  implementation  of 
Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 814/2000  on  information  measures  relating  to  the  common  agricultural 
policy (COM(2003) 235 final of 8.5.2003). 
Report  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  on  the  implementation  of 
Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 814/2000  on  information  measures  relating  to  the  common  agricultural 
policy (COM(2007) 324 final of 13.6.2007). 

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2007: direct actions (€3 900 000) (6 0%) – grants (€2 600 000) (40%) 

2008: direct actions (€4 000 000) (5 7%) – grants (€3 000 000) (43%) 

Execution of the budget, in terms of commitments, reached 88% for 2007 and 91% for 2008. 
This  reflects  a  continuation  of  the  steady  uptake  of  the  budget  allocated  to  grants  in  the 
reporting period. 

III. 

Breakdown of actions financed (in terms of commitments credits) 

The  first  report  on  the  implementation  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 814/2000  for  2000–
2002 noted the revision in the implementing rules for grants and the significant improvements 
to  the  measures  carried  out  (simplification,  increased  transparency,  better  evaluation  of  the 
information  actions  proposed,  better  definition  of  the  messages  to  communicate  and  better 
dissemination).  The  second  report  for  2003-2006  took  into  consideration  the  findings  of  the 
evaluation  of  the  measures  taken  under  this  Regulation  carried  out  within  the  specific 
framework of the Commission’s evaluation policy for the period 2000–20053; and described 
the  strategy  put  in  place  and  the  actions  taken  to  implement  the  European  Commission's 
communication  policy  of  improving  the  understanding  of  the  citizens  about  the  EU.  This 
strategy  was  pursued  in  the  2007-2008  period.  Efforts  to  improve  the  understanding  of  the 
CAP  by  the  general  public  and  rural  area  stakeholders  were  increased  and  intensified.  The 
annual  call  for  proposals  for  co-financed  measures  was  revised  to  encourage  wider 
participation by non-agricultural organisations and the implementation of measures reaching a 
wider  audience4.  Overall,  there  was  more  focus  on  identifying  the  needs  of  specific  target 
groups,  on  better  definition  of  appropriate  messages,  information  actions  and  dissemination 
strategies,  as  well  as  evaluation  and  feedback,  so  as  to  achieve  the  objectives  of  the 
Regulation. 

1. 

Grants  (communication  actions  taken  at  the 
organisations) 

initiative  of  third  party 

In addition to measures including seminars and conferences, in the reporting period, there was 
a  strong  emphasis  on  using  the  budget  line  inter  alia  to  co-finance  information  campaigns 
including TV and radio programmes and audiovisual productions. 

The  Regulation  envisages  two  kinds  of  measures,  specific  information  measures  and  annual 
work programmes. A specific information measure means information events limited in time 
and  space  and  implemented  on  the  basis  of  a  single  budget.  An  annual  work  programme 
means  sets  of  two  to  five  specific  information  measures.  For  2008,  it  was  decided  to  retain 
only  specific  information  measures  for  co-financing  in  the  annual  call  for  proposals  for  that 
year. The aim was to further simplify the grants scheme as well as ensuring the distribution of 
resources to an increased number of beneficiaries. 

The  maximum  financing  rate  for  the  measures  referred  to  above  is  50%  of  eligible  costs. 
However,  the  rate  may  be  increased  to  75%  in  exceptional  cases,  as  specified  in  the 
implementing Regulation, and defined in the call for proposals. In the reporting period, only 
2 measures (out of a total of 106) were awarded more than 50%, both in 2008. One concerned 
seminars organised by an EU level organisation on the role of organic food and farming in the 
future  development  of  the  CAP  (68,69%);  the other  an  information  campaign  on  CAP  in  an 
EU12 MS (75%). They were deemed of exceptional interest in line with the criteria laid down 
in the call for proposals which stressed relevance to the general public, high technical quality 

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European Commission, DG AGRI Contract AGRI 2005/0421, Evaluation of the Information Policy on 
the Common Agricultural Policy, December 2006. 
OJ C 236, 30.9.2006, p. 71; OJ C 238, 10.10.2007, p. 9. 

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and cost-efficiency, and the effectiveness of dissemination plans, in terms of guaranteeing the 
dissemination of the information to the largest possible audience. 

Under the 2007 call for proposals, 12 programmes and 27 specific actions were co-financed. It 
should  be  noted  that  each  programme  contains  a  number  of  actions  and  that  the 
12 programmes financed contained 32 specific actions bringing the overall total to 59 actions 
for 2007. In 2008, 47 specific actions were co-financed, making an overall total of 106 actions 
for the two years. In addition, 3 actions from previous years had to be co-financed again under 
the 2008 budget as these actions could not be closed in due time in the budgetary years they 
referred to. Grants were awarded for 62 conferences and seminars, 26 information campaigns, 
9  audiovisual  productions,  5  publications,  2  participations  in  fairs,  1  visit  and  1  E-learning 
programme on the CAP. 

Grants were  awarded in the reporting period on the basis of  the following  themes – CAP in 
general  (9),  CAP  reform  (42),  Future  of  the  CAP  (15),  Rural  Development  (19),  Common 
Market  Organisations,  including  wine,  fruit  and  vegetables,  milk..  (9),  Organic  farming  (5), 
Sustainable Development (3), Quality (2), Other (2). 

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2

9

9

3

19

42

15

Grants awarded 2007-2008 by themes

CAP in general

CAP reform

Future of the CAP

Rural Development

Sustainable Development

CMO 
(inlcuding wine, fruits &
vegetables, milk..)
Quality

Organic farming

Other

In  2007–2008,  the  rise  in  the  number  of  audiovisual  measures  reflected  the  increased 
importance given to audiovisual projects in the annual call for proposals due to their potential 
to  reach  a  bigger  audience  and  the  general  public.  A  number  of  measures  also  aimed  at 
educating school children about agriculture. 

The types of grants beneficiaries were as follows: professional farm organisations (39), non-
governmental  organisations/associations  (30),  private  sector  (20),  regional  and  local 
authorities (17). 

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Grants awarded 2007-2008 by type of beneficiary

39

20

Private sector

Association/NGO's

Local/Regional Authorities

17

30

Professional farm
organisations

These  included  EU  level  environmental  and  rural  development  organisations.  In  addition, 
media  bodies,  universities  and  national  farmers'  organisations  (often  members  of  EU  level 
bodies) also figured prominently among the lists of beneficiaries. In a part of the co-financed 
actions, beneficiaries made use of the possibility to involve further organisations as partners in 
the execution of the projects. 

The  table  below  indicates  the  number  of  received  and  successful  applications  by  Member 
State. 

Received and successfull applications by Member State 2007-2008

Table I 

s
n
o
i
t
a
c

i
l

p
p
a

f
o
°
N

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

AT

BE

BU

CY

CZ

DE

DK

EL

ES

ET

FI

FR

HU

IE

IT

LT

LV

LU

MT

NL

PL

PT

RO

SK

SL

SV

UK

Member State

Total applications received by Member State 2007-2008

Total grants awarded by Member State 2007-2008

Annex 1 gives an overview of grants in the reporting period. Details on individual grants are to 
be found on the Europa website: 
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/grants/capinfo/index_en.htm 

The  calls  for  proposals  encouraged  co-financed  actions  with  high-added  value,  where  more 
than  one  element  of  the  media  could  be  utilised.  As  in  the  past,  there  was  an  emphasis  on 
better definition of target audiences and better dissemination of information. Applicants were 
required  to  submit  a  media  plan  for  their  proposed  projects,  including  details  of  project 
implementation, message delivery and measurement of effectiveness. In the reporting period, 

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it is important to emphasise that, as in the past, a considerable number of co-financed actions 
reached a wider audience beyond the immediate participants, thanks to the multiplier effect of 
the specialised press and media, as well as increased use of the WEB as a dissemination tool. 

In  2007-2008,  many  grants  beneficiaries  again  included  EU  level  socio-professional 
organisations, whose headquarters are often located in Belgium. An important number of co-
financed  actions  continued  to  be  carried  out  in  Italy,  reflecting  its  ongoing  high  level  of 
interest.  In  contrast,  the  level  of  interest  from  the  northern  part  of  the  EU  continued,  in 
general, to be rather low. 

It  must  be  added  that  there  was  an  increase  in  the  number  of  applications  from  the  new 
Member  States  from  the  previous  very  low  level.  The  reasons  for  this  are  two-fold.  Firstly, 
there was an increased effort by the Commission services to raise awareness of the calls for 
proposals  in  those  countries.  Secondly,  in  the  period,  certain  information  measures  were 
actively  encouraged  in  the  new  Member  States.  The  Commission  services  will  continue  to 
explore ways to increase this growing awareness of the co-financed actions. 

2. 

Communication actions taken at the initiative of the Commission 

In 2007–2008, as in the previous period, a significant number of actions were financed at the 
initiative of the Commission. These were carried out often with external technical assistance. 
Some 60% of the budget was earmarked for these measures in 2007 and some 57% for 2008. 

Annex II details all communication initiatives by the Commission in 2007–2008 as well as the 
respective costs. 

Conferences 

In  2007-2008,  there  was  continued  cooperation  with  the  Member  States,  the  European 
Parliament  and  other  Commission  departments,  as  well  as  the  non-governmental  sector, 
concerning the organisation of conferences. For example, the Commission contributed to the 
French Presidency conference on food security "Who will feed the World?" on 3 July 2008. 
Also in July 2008, a conference on the role of the EU in sustainable water usage in agriculture 
was  organised  as  part  of  the  events  programme  of  the  EU  pavilion  at  the  Zaragoza 
International Exhibition "Water and sustainable development". 

As in the past, conferences provided a forum for broad consultation and dialogue on EU policy 
issues. For example, in February 2007, the conference "Food Quality Certification – Adding 
Value to Farm Produce" brought together in Brussels all interested parties (farmers, producers, 
processors,  distributors)  to  discuss  this  theme.  It  marked  an  important  contribution  to  the 
debate on the wider review of agricultural quality policy. In April 2007, young farmers from 
the  EU  27  participated  in  a  "day  of  dialogue"  with  the  Commissioner  for  Agriculture  and 
Rural Development on the future of EU agriculture. This event was broadcast live using the 
web streaming technology. 

In  October  2008,  a  high  profile  event  on  rural  development  "Europe's  rural  areas  in  action: 
facing the challenges of tomorrow" took place in Cyprus. Representatives from a wide range 
of  sectors  –  ministers,  farmers,  stakeholders  and  academic  experts  –  exchanged  ideas  and 
experience on the challenges facing rural areas in the EU. 

Dissemination of proceedings via Internet helped to involve a wider audience in the debate on 
these issues. 

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Participation/stands at fairs 

The  Commission's  focus  on  "going  local"  continued  to  influence  the  organisation  of  fairs  in 
2007-2008. Cooperation was intensified with other EU institutions, the Member States, civil 
society  organisations,  and  other  Commission  departments  in  organising  appropriate  events. 
Participation  in  the  fairs  continued  to  provide  a  platform  for  dialogue  with  farmers, 
stakeholders and the general public on the CAP and Rural Development policy issues. Special 
activities  were  designed  for  schoolchildren  including  on  the  theme  of  promoting  better 
nutrition  and  the  promotion  of  schemes  for  milk  and  fruit  and  vegetables  in  schools.  This 
emphasis on creating events and messages of relevance to the general public will continue in 
the future. 

Attendance  at  fairs  in  the  new  Member  States  was  stepped  up  during  this  period.  This  was 
accompanied  by  efforts  to  promote  dialogue  with  rural  stakeholders  and  civil  society 
organisations in those countries. 

Publications 

Publications  activity  continued  to  reflect  the  legislative  programme  as  well  as  the  latest 
Eurobarometer surveys on communication needs. Reform of the wine CMO, the Health Check 
of the CAP and quality policy figured prominently, while a series of leaflets was produced on 
themes of interest to the general public. 

In the reporting period, there was further development of publications in electronic format, and 
also increased use of the information relay network of the European Commission to distribute 
publications aimed at the general public. 

Website 

The "Agriculture and Rural Development" website continued to evolve in the reporting period, 
notably as an important source of specialist information on the CAP and Rural Development. 

On 1 October 2008, there was a further significant step towards increased transparency on the 
CAP:  the  chapter  on  beneficiaries  of  CAP  payments  which  had  been  launched  two  years 
earlier now contains a set of links to Member State websites with information on beneficiaries 
of CAP payments (EAFRD for payments made in the period 1 January to 15 October 2007) in 
accordance  with  Article  44a  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1290/2005  as  amended  by 
Council Regulation (EC) No 1437/20075 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 259/20086. By 
30  April  2009,  beneficiaries  of  EAGF  payments  will  also  be  covered  by  the  respective 
Member State websites which will all be accessible via the Commission's portal page. 

Five on-line consultations have been undertaken (on the CAP Health Check, the School Fruit 
Scheme, the future of the "Most Deprived Persons Food Distribution" programme, the review 
of  the  Less  Favoured  Area  Scheme  and  the  EU's  agricultural  product  quality  policy).  The 
contributions  from  stakeholders  and  the  general  public  have  been  or  are  being  taken  into 
account by the Commission services in the preparation of the respective legislative proposals 
or other measures. 

The e-mail service "Agriculture Newsdigest" which was set up in 2002, is now regularly sent 
out to more than 17 000 subscribers all over the world. Subscriptions to the "Monitoring Agri-
trade Policy (MAP)" newsletters and briefs have risen to 3750. 

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OJ L 322, 7.12.2007, p. 1. 
OJ L 76, 19.3.2008, p. 28. 

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Preparations for an all-new version of the website in the Commission's new corporate design, 
using web content management technology and offering interactive tools have started in 2008; 
its launch is scheduled for 2009. 

Opinion Polls 

DG Agriculture has continued to use the Eurobarometer survey to poll EU citizens’ opinion on 
agriculture, the CAP and rural development. In addition, a qualitative study regarding citizens' 
attitudes  and  level  of  knowledge  of  agriculture  and  the  CAP  was  carried  out  in  15  Member 
States  in  2007.  A  Stakeholder  Mapping  and  Perception  Audit,  also  conducted  in  2007, 
improved  knowledge  of  those  stakeholder  organisations  in  the  EU27  which  influence  the 
debate  on  CAP.  The  results  are  being  used  by  DG  Agriculture  and  Rural  Development  in 
devising its ongoing communication activities. 

In  addition,  the  database  on  media  outlets  of  relevance  to  agriculture  and  rural  development 
was also considerably extended. 

Visits 

In 2007-2008, the visits programme of the DG continued to promote improved understanding 
of the CAP and Rural Development issues among the wider public, notably stakeholders and 
students. 

There  was  also  a  strong  focus  on  developing  the  initiative  concerning  dialogue  with 
universities.  Contact  with  universities  in  the  Member  States  was  intensified.  The  number  of 
presentations on European agricultural and rural development policy in colleges was expanded 
in this period, and is set to increase in 2009. 

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IV. 

The proportion of spending (commitments and payments) between grants at the 
initiative  of  third  parties  and  information  actions  at  the  initiative  of  the 
Commission 

2006 

2007 

2008 

Grants 

Direct 
actions 

Grants 

Direct 
actions 

Grants  

Direct 
actions 

Budget 
foreseen 

 Commitments 
(EUR) 

%  

Payments 
(EUR)(**) 

2 800 000 

3 700 000 

2 600 000 

3 900 000 

3 000 000 

4 000 000 

2 638 670 

3 604 954 

2 575 143 

3 178 103 

2 532 768 

3 860 889 

94% 

97 % 

99% 

81% 

84% 

97% 

1 578 865 

2 779 904 

1 702 568 

2 767 295 

(*) 

(*) 

(*) Figures not yet available – most of the actions are still on going. 

(**) In relation to the year of commitment and the following year (n+1 rule). 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  annual  payments  are  always  lower  than  the  amounts  originally 
committed. In the case of grants, this can be explained by the fact that firstly, in many cases, 
final  costs  of  the  actions  are  lower  than  initially  foreseen  by  the  beneficiary,  and  secondly, 
because  not  all  expenses  declared  by  the  beneficiaries  can  be  considered  as  eligible.  In  the 
case of actions at the initiative of the Commission, the differences are smaller and due to the 
commitments,  which  take  account  of  all  possible  foreseeable  expenditure  which  are 
sometimes finally lower than initially foreseen.  

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V. 

Communication campaigns on major issues 

Wide-ranging  communication  campaigns  were  organised  on  major  issues  in  the  2007-2008 
period as part of the effort to inform the general public on the achievements of CAP reform 
and  the  role  of  Rural  Development.  This  was  in  line  with  the  priority  accorded  to 
communication policy by the European Commission, and the need for dialogue and debate, so 
as to address the gap between the EU and its citizens. As a result, DG Agriculture and Rural 
Development increased its communication efforts to reach the general public; this reflected its 
communication  strategy  updated  in  2006  and  its  mandate  within  Council  Regulation  (EC) 
No 814/2000. 

For example, on 4 July 2007, the adoption by the Commission of the wine reform legislative 
proposals7 was marked by press and stakeholder briefings by senior officials in 15 Member 
States,  simultaneously  with  the  press  conference  of  the  Commissioner  for  Agriculture  and 
Rural  Development  in  Brussels.  These  briefings  attracted  over  250  journalists  from 
specialised  and  regional  media  as  well  as  local  TV  and  radio  stations.  The  briefings  were 
attended  by  more  than  500  stakeholders  representing  a  wide  range  of  civil  society 
organisations, NGOs, regional and national governments and institutions. A similar exercise 
was carried out on 24 January 2007 to coincide with the adoption by the Commission of its 
proposals8 for the reform of the fruit and vegetable regime. 

Communication actions on the Health Check of the Common Agricultural Policy were even 
more  wide-ranging.  These  were  developed  in  two  phases,  the  first  relating  to  the 
Commission's  communication  of  20  November  20079,  which 
included  stakeholder 
conferences, on-line consultation, and dialogue on the issues during events and conferences. 
Special  publications  and  press  materials,  as  well  as  on-line  material  accompanied  this 
exercise,  including  the  production  of  audiovisual  material.  The  second  phase  relating  to  the 
legislative  proposals10  involved  a  very  comprehensive  information  campaign  involving 
virtually all Member States, on 20 and 21 May 2008. Again senior officials were deployed to 
present, explain, debate and discuss the legislative proposals with representatives of the socio-
professional organisations and the media across the EU. Over one thousand stakeholders and 
over  three  hundred  and  fifty  journalists  participated  in  these  briefings,  with  considerable 
media coverage. This was a major exercise in communication at local level with all interested 
parties, including by definition, the general public. 

The  year  2008  also  saw  the  development  of  communication,  educational  and  awareness-
raising  activities  linked  to  the  School  Milk  Scheme  and  the  School  Fruit  and  Vegetable 
Scheme, as part of the Commission’s efforts to improve health and nutrition, as set out in the 
White Paper on "A Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity related health 
issues"11.  A  WEB  campaign,  including  school  events  and  a  photo  competition  were  used 
mainly to disseminate information in relation to the School Milk Scheme. In December 2008, 
an  important  conference  brought  together  governmental  and  non-governmental  bodies, 
scientists,  professional  organisations,  NGOs  and  nutritional  experts  in  a  major  exercise  in 
networking and exchanging information and best practice concerning the promotion of school 
fruit  and  vegetable  schemes  in  the  EU.  Inter  alia,  this  provided  important  guidance  for 
planning future information measures in this field. 

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8 
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10 
11 

COM (2007) 372 final, 4.7.2007. 
COM(2007) 17 final, 24.1.2007. 
COM (2007) 722 final, 20.11.2007 
COM (2008) 306 final, 20.5.2008. 
COM (2007) 279 final, 30.5.2007. 

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These  intensive  communication  efforts  have  helped  improve  the  understanding  of  both  the 
general public and stakeholders on issues related to agriculture and rural development. 

VI. 

CONCLUSION 

In the 2007-2008 period, efforts were intensified to increase the understanding and acceptance 
of  the  CAP  among  the  general  public,  and  also  to  maintain  and  increase  support  from 
stakeholders  in  agriculture  and  the  rural  areas.  Increased  attention  was  paid  to  the  local 
context  in  designing  information  measures.  Strategic  messages  were  improved  and  refined. 
Synergy was increased with the governmental and non-governmental sector, and also between 
different  communication  tools.  Actions  aimed  at  newer  and  younger  audiences  were 
developed,  using  the  WEB  and  audiovisual  tools.  There  was  a  renewed  focus  on  better 
dissemination of information both for co-financed actions and measures taken at the initiative 
of  the  Commission.  Key  policy  developments  were  accompanied  by  major  information 
campaigns  in  the  capitals,  with  high-level  briefings  of  media  and  stakeholders  providing  an 
opportunity for open and frank dialogue on the policy. Overall, this contributed to improving 
the  understanding  of  both  rural  area  stakeholders  and  the  general  public  concerning  the 
benefits  of  the  CAP  and  the  role  of  Rural  Development,  in  line  with  the  objectives  of 
Regulation (EC) No 814/2000. 

Annexes: 

–  Annex I: 
–  Annex II: 

Tables on grants for 2007–2008 
Breakdown of direct actions by the Commission 2007–2008 

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