As part of the activities of the research project ” Compliance with EU policies in the field of agriculture and rural development – IPARD in BiH through Croatian experiences ” ( IPARD project ) funded by the European Fund for the Balkans , in the special program ” Think and Link” , representatives ACED held two rounds of working meetings with the institutions in Croatia which are responsible for implementation of the IPARD program and support farmers in applying for IPARD funds .
In the first round of working meetings , discussions were held with representatives of the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture – Department for the management of EU rural development programs , as well as with representatives of the Agency for Payments in Agriculture , Fisheries and Rural Development .
The purpose of the meeting was to gain insight into the process of preparation for IPARD through which Croatia had , and to try to come up with concrete suggestions for BiH institutions that could contribute to accelerating and improving the process in Bosnia and Herzegovina .
In the second round of working meetings , representatives ACED visited the organizations that help farmers when applying for IPARD support . Interviews were conducted with representatives of the Regional Development Agency Zagreb, County Development Agency ,,North” from Varazdin , Zagorje Development Agency and private agencies Kaja Consulting .
During the meetings, ACED representatives got the opportunity to learn about the specific service packages for farmers when applying for IPARD of this organization for a long time offer . The information collected on this occasion will serve in analyzing the capacity to provide such services at local organizations .
B/H/S