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  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
Date: 2011-05-24
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU control, EU financing, European Commission, common agricultural policy, information, public awareness campaign

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 24.5.2011 
COM(2011) 294 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(2011) 622 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 

I. 

INTRODUCTION 

This  report  concerns  the  implementation  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 814/2000  for  the 
period 2009–2010. 

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 (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  fourth  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 third report covering 2007-2008 was presented in May 2009.3 

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

1 

2 

3 

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) 
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(2009)237 final of 20.5.2009) 

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II. 

BUDGET 

The budget made available for information measures under budget line 05 08 06 was increased 
from €7 million in 2008 to €8 million for 
2009 and €8 million 2010. The breakdown between 
actions to be taken at the initiative of the Commission and actions to be co-financed (grants) 
was as follows: 

2009: direct actions (€4.750.000)  (59%) – grants (€3.250.000) (41%) 

2010: direct actions (€4.750.000)  (59%) – grants (€3.250.000) (41%) 

Execution of the budget, in terms of commitments, reached 95% for 2009 and 88% for 2010.  

III. 

BREAKDOWN OF ACTIONS FINANCED 

Within the European Commission's communication policy to improve the understanding of the 
citizens  about  the  EU,  DG  Agriculture  and  Rural  Development  pursued  and  intensified  its 
efforts in the reporting period to design and implement actions targeting the general public and 
relevant  stakeholders.  The  annual  call  for  proposals  for  co-financed  measures  encouraged 
information  actions  having  maximum  impact  in  terms  of  reaching  the  widest  possible 
audience4. Overall, efforts continued to identify the needs of specific target groups, to better 
define  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 

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 2009 and 2010, it was decided (as 
in  2008)  to  retain  only  specific  information  measures  for  co-financing  in  the  annual  call  for 
proposals for those years, with the aim of simplifying the grants scheme.  

The  maximum  financing  rate  for  the  measures  referred  to  above  is  50%  of  eligible  costs. 
However,  the  rate  may  be  increased  up  to  75%  in  exceptional  cases,  as  specified  in  the 
implementing Regulation, and defined in the call for proposals. In the reporting period, only 6 
measures (out of a total of 72) were awarded more than 50%, 3 in 2009 and 3 in 2010. They 
were  deemed  of  exceptional  interest  in  line  with  the  criteria  laid  down  in  the  calls  for 
proposals  which  stipulated  that  the  project  must  be  carried  out  in  one  of  the  EU12  Member 
States,  be  of  high  technical  quality  and  cost-efficiency,  its  dissemination  plan  must  be 
effective (in terms of guaranteeing the largest possible audience) and it must have received a 
score of minimum 75/100 by the Evaluation Committee for the award criteria. 

Under the 2009 call for proposals, 37 specific actions were co-financed. In 2010, 35 specific 
actions were co-financed, making an overall total of 72 actions for the two years. Grants were 
awarded  for  41  information  campaigns,  17  conferences  and  seminars,  7  audiovisual 
productions, 2 participations in fairs, 1 study visit project and 4 projects in schools. 

4 

OJ C 248, 30.9.2008, p. 8 ; OJ C 215, 9.9.2009, p.3  

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In 2009/2010, the rise in the number of information campaigns reflected the emphasis in the 
calls  for  proposals  on  co-financed  actions  with  high-added  value,  where  a  number  of 
information measures could be combined to achieve maximum impact.  

The types of grants beneficiaries were as follows: professional farm organisations (13), non-
governmental  organisations/associations  (28),  regional  and  local  authorities  (16)  and  others 
(15). 

Grants awarded 2009-2010 by type of beneficiary

15

13

16

Association/NGO's

28

Local/Regional Authorities

Professional farm
organisations
Other

Associations  and  NGOs  active  in  agriculture  and  rural  development  at  national  level  (often 
members of EU level bodies) figured prominently among the lists of beneficiaries. In addition, 
inter alia, regional bodies, and media organisations participated and also, but to a lesser extent 
than  previously,  EU  level  socio-professional  organisations.  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.  

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

Received and successfull applications by Member State 2009-2010

91

Table I 

s
n
o
i
t
a
c

i
l

p
p
a

f
o
°
N

50

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

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 
2009-2010

Total grants awarded by Member State 
2009-2010

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 

As  in  the  past,  the  calls  for  proposals  encouraged  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, 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 internet as a dissemination tool. 

In the reporting period, there continued as in the past to be a strong level of interest from the 
southern  part  of  the  EU.  It  should  be  pointed  out  also  that  the  number  of  grant  applications 
from the EU12 continued to increase in 2009/2010.  

2. 

Communication actions taken at the initiative of the Commission  

In 2009–2010, as in the previous period, an important number of actions were financed at the 
initiative of the Commission. These were carried out often with external technical assistance. 
Some 59% of the budget was earmarked for these measures in the reporting period. 

Annex II details all communication initiatives by the Commission in 2009–2010 as well as the 
respective costs. 

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Conferences 

In 2009-2010, there continued to be close cooperation with the Member States, the European 
Parliament, other Commission departments, as well as the civil society sector, concerning the 
organisation of conferences.  

Conferences continued to provide a forum for broad consultation and dialogue on EU policy 
issues.  For  example,  in  June  2009,  an  important  conference  on  enlargement  took  place  in 
Croatia. In March 2010, the conference "What future for Milk?" brought together in Brussels 
all interested parties (including farmers, producers, processors, distributors, academic experts) 
and made an important contribution to the ongoing reflections on the dairy sector at EU level. 
In April 2010, journalists from around the world were invited via the International Federation 
of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) to a conference/dialogue in Brussels on the future direction 
of  the  CAP;  this  helped  raise  awareness  of  policy  issues  both  within  the  EU  and  in  third 
countries.  

The conference "CAP post-2013" in July 2010 marked an important stage in the debate on the 
future of the CAP. 

The use of web streaming technology ensured broad dissemination of conference proceedings. 

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Participation/stands at fairs 

Concerning  the  organisation  of  fairs  in  2009-2010,  the  focus  remained  on  underlining  the 
benefits of farming and rural development for society as a whole. Best practice examples of 
EU  policy  in  rural  areas,  protection  of  the  rural  heritage,  quality  policy,  and  meeting  new 
challenges such as climate change were highlighted. Fairs also continued to provide a forum 
for dialogue on farming policy with farmers, other stakeholders and the general public. As in 
the past, special events were designed for schoolchildren including on the theme of promoting 
better nutrition, and linked to the promotion of schemes for milk and fruit and vegetables in 
schools. 

Publications 

Publications continued to reflect the legislative programme as well as the latest Eurobarometer 
surveys  on  communication  needs.  Brochures  highlighted  the  importance  within  the  CAP  of 
issues  such  as  sustainability,  biofuels  and  quality  policy,  and  further  development  of 
publications for  the general  public took place.  In  2009  and  2010,  DG  Agriculture  and  Rural 
Development also participated in the EUROPA diary exercise by Commission services, aimed 
at raising awareness of 15-18 year old school students on EU issues, including agriculture. In 
the  reporting  period,  there  continued  to  be  a  strong  focus  on  the  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  develop  in  the  reporting 
period,  notably  as  an  important  source  of  specialist  information  on  the  CAP  and  Rural 
Development. It also played a significant role in the process of consulting stakeholders and the 
general public as to the future direction of agricultural policy. Two on-line consultations were 
undertaken (a public consultation on the CAP after 2013, and a more specialized one for the 
Impact  Assessment  on  the  options  outlined  in  the  Communication  "The  CAP  towards  2020: 
meeting  the  food,  natural  resources  and  territorial  challenges  of  the  future").  The  views 
expressed  have  been  taken  into  consideration  in  the  on-going  reflections  concerning  the 
preparation of legislative proposals on the future of farm and rural development policy in the 
EU. 

In  2009  and  2010,  dedicated  web  pages  were  created  for  major  DG  AGRI  policy  initiatives 
such as the preparations for the CAP post 2013, the improvement of EU agricultural quality 
policy and the milk package proposals. 

Subscriptions to the "Monitoring Agri-trade Policy (MAP)" newsletter and briefs have risen to 
4900, the "Agricultural commodity and food prices" updates have now roughly 1000 and the 
new "Agricultural Policy Perspectives" briefs about 900 subscribers. 

The  migration  to  an  all  new  version  of  the  website  (new  design,  web  content  management 
technology and updated content) is well underway. 

Opinion Polls 

In  2009,  DG  Agriculture  again  used  the  Eurobarometer  quantitative  survey  to  poll  EU 
citizens’ opinion on agriculture, the CAP and rural development. In addition, in 2010, a further 
qualitative  study  regarding  the  attitudes  and  level  of  knowledge  of  the  general  public 

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concerning  agriculture  and  the  CAP  was  carried  out;  this  also  included  the  farming 
community. 

Visits 

to 

receive  groups  of  visitors,  comprising  principally 

In  the  reporting  period,  the  Directorate  General  for  Agriculture  and  Rural  Development 
continued 
farmers' 
representatives, students, regional and local representatives and academics. The purpose of the 
visits  was  to  explain  and  deepen  citizens'  understanding  of  the  common  agricultural  policy, 
including  rural  development.  The  initiative  concerning  dialogue  with  universities  in  the 
Member States continued. 

farmers, 

Audiovisual 

In  the  reporting  period,  audiovisual  and  media  actions  were  developed  to  reach  the  general 
public. This included distribution, during three consecutive weeks in the winters of 2009 and 
2010,  of  a  short  40'  film  ("clip")  on  agriculture  called  "What  tomorrow  will  be  like?"  in 
cinemas in the EU27. The aim was to highlight the importance of agriculture for society as a 
whole.  It  is  estimated  that  more  than  30  million  admissions  in  cinemas  of  EU  27  were 
achieved for both distribution periods. 

IV 

COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS ON MAJOR ISSUES 

Reference has already been made to the broad public debate on the future of EU farm policy in 
April-June  2010.  The  aim  was  to  generate  the  widest  possible  participation  in  the  CAP 
reflection  process  at  an  early  stage  in  the  debate.  This  provided  an  opportunity  for  an  open 
dialogue  where  the  CAP  was  discussed  by  the  general  public,  stakeholders,  think  tanks  and 
academic bodies. This forum generated some 5,600 contributions from all over the EU 

Subsequently, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development hosted a conference 
on this public debate in Brussels on 19/20 July. This marked an important stage in the process 
of  preparing  the  Commission's  Communication  of  November  2010  on  "The  CAP  towards 
2020: meeting the food, natural resources and territorial challenges of the future"5. In parallel, 
DG Agriculture and Rural Development organised an event designed for the general public on 
Place St Catherine in Brussels, where Member States displayed food and beverages from all 
over the EU, underlining the richness and variety of European farm production. The occasion 
was also used for announcing and granting the award for the new organic farming logo design. 

The European Parliament, The European Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee 
of the Regions contributed to the public debate by issuing own- initiative opinions. 

Subsequently  the  adoption  by  the  Commission  of  the  Communication  was  marked  by  wide-
ranging  information  activities  in  the  EU27  organised  by  DG  Agriculture  and  Rural 
Development.  These  included  presentations  to  stakeholders  in  all  Member  States.  These 
briefings were attended by more than 1300 stakeholders representing a wide range of socio-
professional organisations, NGOs, regional and national governments and institutions. Special 
media and press materials in all EU languages, as well as on-line material accompanied this 

5 

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic 
and  Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions,  The  CAP  towards  2020:  meeting  the  food 
natural resources and territorial challenges of the future".COM(2010) 672 final of 18 November 2010  

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exercise,  including  the  production  and  dissemination  of  audiovisual  material.  It  is  estimated 
this exercise reached some 40 million TV viewers across the EU with a significant impact also 
in  terms  of  the  print  media.  As  with  past  DG  AGRI  initiatives  on  major  policy  issues,  this 
represented an important exercise in communication at local level with all interested parties, 
including by definition, the general public. 

In  the  reporting  period,  in  addition,  two  communication  campaigns,  'Drink  it  up'  and  'The 
Tasty Bunch' were conducted as part of the awareness raising activities linked to the School 
Milk Scheme and the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, reflecting 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"6. 

6 

COM (2007) 279 final, 30.5.2007. 

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V. 

THE  PROPORTION  OF  SPENDING  (COMMITMENTS  AND  PAYMENTS)  BETWEEN 
GRANTS AT THE INITIATIVE OF THIRD PARTIES AND INFORMATION ACTIONS AT THE 
INITIATIVE OF THE COMMISSION 

2008 

2009 

2010 

Grants 

Direct 
actions 

Grants 

Direct 
actions 

Grants  

Direct 
actions 

Budget 
foreseen 

 Commitments) 

EURO 

% 
consumption  

of 

Payments 
(EUR)(**) 

3.000.000 

4.000.000 

3.250.000 

4.750.000 

3.250.000 

4.750.000 

2.532.768 

3.860.889 

2.833.990 

4.745.654 

2.740.497 

4.280.963 

84% 

97 % 

87% 

99,9% 

84% 

90% 

1.499.066 

3.069.402 

1.848.458 

4.320.404 

(*) 

(*) 

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

(**) The payments mentioned in the table do not represent the execution of the year N, but they are the payments 
done in relation to the commitments of the year N. Those payments regroup the payments made in year N and 
year N+1.  

It is to be noted that the 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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VI 

CONCLUSION 

In the 2009-2010 period, efforts continued to raise awareness of the CAP among the general 
public and also to maintain and increase support from stakeholders in agriculture and the rural 
areas. There was a special emphasis on engaging with the general public on the future of EU 
agricultural  policy  post  2013  and  on  encouraging  an  exchange  of  views  with  interested 
parties.  

Initiatives  targeting  the  general  public  and  younger  audiences  using  the  internet  and 
audiovisual tools intensified. The effort to ensure maximum impact of information measures 
both for co-financed actions and actions taken at the initiative of the Commission continued. 
Overall, this contributed to raising public awareness of the issues and objectives of the CAP 
and  providing  information  for  farmers  and  others  living  in  rural  areas  in  line  with  the 
objectives of Regulation 814/2000.  

In the course of 2010, DG Agriculture and Rural Development carried out a detailed analysis 
of  its  communication  activities  during  recent  years.  As  a  result,  its  communication  strategy 
was reviewed and updated to respond to the communication challenges and political priorities 
for the period 2010-2015. The focus will continue to be on the future of the CAP and the aim 
is  to  further  improve  the  effectiveness  of  our  communication  actions  and  synergy  with  our 
governmental and non-governmental partners, while taking into account technological change 
and the emergence of the new media. 

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