Abstract:
Taking into consideration one of the main objectives of the European
Union that is the principle of economic and social cohesion which intends to
reduce the discrepancies between the development needs of the different
regions and the lack of progress of some regions, including the rural areas,
the paper tries to analyze the ways SMEs from agriculture sector can access
structural funds and, at the same time, their financing opportunities.
Structural funds are the non-reimbursable funds offered by the
European Union to the Member States with the purpose of solving the
economic and social structural problems. Starting from the particularities of
the rural SMEs’ activities, in their accessing should be followed the
fundamental objectives on which is concentrated the structural financing
such as: promotion of the development and structural adjustment for the
underdeveloped regions through ensuring the basic infrastructure which is
missing and through the stimulation of investment in the economic activities;
economical and social conversion in the areas which suffer economical and
social changes in industrial and services sectors to the underdeveloped rural
areas ; adapting and modernizing the national policies and the European
Union policies and also the systems for labor, education and training.
In the study done on the target group, we took into consideration the
fact that structural funds support the underdeveloped regions, the rural
areas, where the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) offers the financial
support for the rural development besides the eligible rural areas, including
the investment in agriculture units, in favour of the environment protection
and for promotion of the local products. As well, there are supported
innovative rural projects organized by the groups formed by local
population.
The research results are represented by the determination, at the level
of the analyzed SMEs, of the possibilities of improving the performances in
their activity through structural financing.
