Measure 1 of the IPARD III Programme: Contracting Progress and Ranking List Update

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management – the IPARD Managing Authority and the Paying Agency for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries – inform agricultural producers and the interested public about the further contracting process for projects under the first Public Call for Measure 1, “Investments in Physical Assets of Agricultural Holdings,” of the IPARD III Programme. A total of 694 applications were submitted, with a total requested support value of €48.33 million, of which €36.4 million represents the EU contribution. For applications found, following administrative checks, consideration of applicants’ statements and completion of the examination procedure, to meet the prescribed conditions, the assessment process has continued, including scoring and ranking according to the criteria applicable to the relevant Public Call. At the same time, the possibility of reallocating part of the funds from other accredited IPARD III measures to Measure 1 was opened, creating the conditions for contracting a broader range of eligible investments that do not include the purchase of tractors. However, for applicants who retained the purchase of a tractor as part of their investment, and whose applications, according to the established order, fall outside the currently available financial allocation, contracting is still not possible due to insufficient funds for tractor financing. The next steps include continuing to contract eligible investments that do not include tractors; determining the final funds available for investments that include tractors; determining the group of applicants who, in line with the available funds and the order of eligible applications, may be offered contracts; and adopting and delivering the relevant individual decisions to applicants.