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Country Information

Belgium

Management of Rural Development

Rural Development in Belgium is managed on a decentralised basis by the two main administrative regions of the country, Flanders and Wallonia, each of which has responsibility for rural development policy implementation in their region. In Wallonia, overall responsibility is undertaken by the General Directorate of Agriculture, whilst in Flanders the responsibility lies within the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. There is one National Strategic Plan which provides the overall framework for rural development policy in Belgium and then for each administrative region there are separate Rural Development Programmes, Managing Authorities and Paying Agencies for each administrative region. The Belgian National Strategy Plan includes a national chapter and two regional chapters.

Summary of rural development policy objectives

The main strategic objectives for rural development in Belgium are similar in both Flanders and Wallonia, primarily focusing upon improving the competitiveness of the agri-food sector by improving skills and encouraging investment in the sector, improving the environment, diversifying the rural economy, increasing rural employment opportunities, preserving the rural heritage, maintaining quality landscapes, protecting traditional rural villages and enhancing the quality of life in rural areas.

Relevant documents

  • National Strategy Plan (NSP) [PDF ]
  • Flemish Rural Development Programme (RDP) [PDF ]
  • Walloon Rural Development Programme (RDP) [PDF ]
  • Rural Development programme summary: To see the detailed RDP fiches for each programme please click here.

Relevant organisations

Other relevant links