Finding measurement of RDPs in the EU period 2007-2013 to collect

In this section, finding measurement of rural development programmes (RDPs) in EU period 2007-2013 to consider the implementation progress of National target programme in building new rural areas period 2011-2015 in Vietnam.

Besides, the commitment of the EU for sustainable development in rural areas has a link with the EU Common Agricultural Policy. “The sustainable development of rural areas has been a key objective of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy since it formally had established as second pillar

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of the policy in 2000, with increasingly important budget allocations....”

(European Union, 2014)

Rural development plays an important role in the EU. “With over half of the EU population living outside of towns and with rural areas accounting for 90%

of the territory of the 27 Member States - rural development is a vitally important policy area. Farming and forestry remain crucial for the management of natural resources in the EU’s rural areas as well as a platform for economic diversification in rural communities.”

(European Commission, Last update 26 Mar 2014, (a)

The responses of RD policy 2007-2013 in the EU are the policy’s contribution to enhancing resource efficiency for rural economies and that is sustainability’s orientation for rural areas. “In the face of the multiple challenges for agriculture and rural areas, rural development aims at enhancing agricultural competitiveness, improving the sustainable management of natural resources and promoting a balanced territorial development across the EU” (European Union, 2011)

Based on the Regulation (EC) No.1698/2005 on 20 September 2005, rural development policy for 2007 to 2013 structured along three thematic axes and one horizontal axis, as scheme as below.

Axis 1 - Improving the competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sector.

Axis 2 - Improving the environment and the countryside.

Axis 3 - The quality of life in rural areas and diversification of the rural economy; and Axis 4 - Leader

The main finding in this section is the Rural Development indicators of RDPs in the EU derived from the Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF). By this policy making, “The CMEF establishes five types of indicators following the logic of the intervention process, namely baseline, input, output, result, and impact indicators”. (European Union, 2014)

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These provide a single framework for monitoring and evaluation of all rural development interventions for the programming period 2007-2013. They are according to the following broad thematic groups: Importance of rural areas;

Socio-economic situation of rural areas; Sectoral economic indicators;

Environment; Diversification and quality of life; and LEADER… However, those thematic groups discontinued in 2014 and replaced by the annual CAP context indicator update (by new RDPs programme period 2014-2020).

(European Commission, Last update 26 Jun 2014)

In this section, SWOT model would use as an effective analysis tool for RD policy 2007-2013 in the EU to find learning lessons for decision making from planning and programming of developing countries, who are ongoing the rural development progress. Especially, it supplies concerns with Vietnam case:

building new rural areas and sustainable rural development.

Table 20. SWOP analysis for RD policy 2007-2013 in the EU

Strengths

Rural development policy has enabled many farmers to learn new techniques, upgrade facilities and carry out essential restructuring, thus sharpening their competitive edge.

It embraced the need to support different types of job creation and the provision of basic services in countryside. These help to promote quality of life, which acknowledged as an important factor for sustaining thriving rural communities.

That is a consolidation and integration in goals of RD policy in EU period 2007-2013. (a)

Opportunities

Support for rural development period 2007-13 evolved from supporting structural adjustment in agriculture to better reflecting the multiple roles of farming in the wider rural context. Policy put a greater emphasis on implementing a coherent strategy for rural development across the EU as a whole, with a focus on themes:

- improving the competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sector

- improving the environment and the countryside

- improving the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging diversification of the rural economy. (b)

Weakness

The situation of lack of data collection as well as covering of the interaction among evaluation activities, the compilation and refinement of indicators for “ongoing evaluation”

during the entire programming period were be the weakness and challenges to ensuring adequate capacity building by

Threats

It is primarily the responsibility of the Member State Managing Authorities to implement the Rural Development Programmes (RDPs).

It is flexible to establish RDPs by condition level of each Member State in line with the common framework built around four axes. It also can create threatening for implementing

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best. (c)

and ensuring consistency in their programming. (d)

(Source: European Commission. (Last update 26 Mar 2014, a).

European Commission. (Last update 26 Mar 2014, b, d)

European Commission. (Last update 26 Jun 2014, c); European Union. (2014, c))

Using SWOT model to analysis the RD policy period 2007-2013 in the EU in order to recognize that a balanced territorial development can benefit through key characteristics of EU countries as context as below:

- “- Urban areas are important markets and service centres for rural businesses.

- Europe’s countryside is popular among urban populations.

- Rural areas around towns and cities can experience environmental pressures from urban development, ‘honey-pot’ recreation and commuting”. (European Commission, Last update 17 Jan 2014) These characteristics can be a reference for National target programme in building new rural areas in Vietnam order to establish a “balanced territorial development” of each commune. Because “Vietnam has proven its resilience and resourcefulness by successfully weathering the economic hardship in the global context and maintaining positive progress in socio-economic development, poverty reduction and environmental protection.” (MPI of Vietnam, 2015). This projection is strengthening by implementing the progress of sustainable rural development in rural areas in Vietnam.

6.3 Mathematical calculations for a survey research in Hong Lac