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The delivery system can be described as a complex set of rules, instruments and actors which influence the way public aid is provided to final beneficiaries. It includes:

• The legal framework for public intervention;

• Implementation procedures;

• administrative structures and their organisation (involved both in design and

implementation phases) ;

• local actors and agencies intervening in the process (role and functions).

Thus, delivery does not simply mean ‘providing money to farmers’; it embraces a lot of institutional and social meanings which should be taken into account. Information collected through case studies allows us to reflect upon the relations between the type of delivery and policy efficiency and effectiveness. In the following paragraphs we describe how main aspects influence performance, on the basis of the case studies and comparative analyses in some EU countries.

5.4.5.1. The legal framework of public interventions

Within this field, key factors include: the design of measures; and the eligibility criteria for access to single measures. The proper and consistent design of a measure is crucial for concrete implementation. In the Cumbria case study (primarily measures for the competitiveness and successful adaptation of agriculture) there was excessive prescription in the schemes in terms of the range of eligible activities. The consequent lack of flexibility led to potentially very good projects not fitting exactly into the boundaries of the scheme and therefore failing to secure funding. In the CTE case study (Basse Normandie, France) the scope of the CTE was seen as too restrictive by farmers, compared with the needs of their farm business. But the CTE, especially at the beginning of implementation was seen as an over-complicated scheme: with over 800 possible measures; considerable time and effort was required by local advisers to determine the content of an individual contract. Despite the large number of measures, there was also a lack of flexibility in respect of adaptation to the individual context of the beneficiary (Basse-Normandie, France). The design of the measures was therefore very critical and it initially introduced too much complexity in the scheme, which hampered effectiveness at the start of the implementation phase.

Sometimes, the problem in designing the scheme is just the opposite, as in the case of the eligibility criteria for our LFA case study in Spain. There, the design of the scheme, in terms of the classification criteria for LFA, is too wide, resulting in 79% of the Spanish territory being eligible for aid and thus the measure is not targeting areas most in need. In this case even the established compensation is overly complex and non-transparent; the criteria used for calculation are not adequate and can lead to under or over-compensation [LFA case study, Spain]. Some elegibility criteria produced distorted effects: the selection of LFA payments in Spain acts in a way such that funds delivered do not necessarily reach those most in need of support. This was because at least 50% of income has to come from farming activities; there was a requirement to reside “in the same or neighbouring municipality” as the

land being claimed upon; and finally also requiring the “legal registration as an individual, member of an Agrarian Society” (LFA case study, Spain).

5.4.5.2. Implementation procedures

These represent the operative side of the programme and cover:

• providing information;

• preparation of applications;

• selection of projects and beneficiaries;

• financial procedures, payment system, control and monitoring.

Providing information.

Information is a key factor for access to delivery among the potential beneficiaries. In some circumstances lack of information hampered the use of existing schemes. In the Cumbria case study, at the beginning bad communication to applicants about measures, fund availability and selection criteria created serious difficulties. In the agri-environment scheme in Slovakia there were initial problems with access to information because of the lack of printed documents about the scheme. In general the concept of providing information is identified in most contexts with communication and with the proper means of communication. In some case studies (e.g. Cumbria) it was noted that good communication has to be pursued not only through publicity, but also through outreach and animation. This idea is more familiar within LEADER and other local approaches (e.g. Regionen Aktiv, Food-chain projects in Calabria).

Preparation of applications.

In this field most of the critical factors relate to relative complexity of procedures and the assistance given to preparing applications. In the Cumbria case study, the complexity of application procedures prevented smaller projects from applying and generated a high rate of application failure. There was also insufficient assistance to proposal preparation. The same problem occurred in the agri-environment scheme in Slovakia, where complex and costly application procedures hindered the participation of smaller holdings. Bigger farms were able to present projects by paying private advisors. In France, complexity of applications led the national administration to move from CTE to CAD, simplifying the content of contracts and applications. By contrast, appropriate goals, manageable project size, proper technical assistance and a participatory, inclusive and consensus-oriented approach to preparation were key to success elsewhere (Regionen Aktiv, LUCOP, Food-chain projects in Calabria).

Selection of projects and beneficiaries.

Selection is a big issue because it includes so many aspects: the method and criteria used for the selection, the quality of projects, who is involved in the selection, etc. Strict evaluation procedures and complicated forms have a negative effect on trust between administrators and project promoters (e.g. case study Cumbria, England). Good quality and integrated projects tend to increase the time that projects need to secure approval (Food chain projects in Calabria). By contrast, the desire to access national money as quickly as possible can lead to a rush to sign up as many contracts as possible, with little thought given to the consistency of the measures implemented. This played an important role in the failure of CTE in correctly addressing local environmental concerns (AE measures in Basse-Normandie). If integrated projects need more time in preparation and approval, they probably have a greater consistency in effectiveness. Transparency and competitive mechanisms based on good evaluation criteria without administrative restrictions tend to increase the quality of projects (Regionen Aktiv, Germany). Selection only based on the fulfilment of administrative

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requirements tends to reduce project quality (agri-environment scheme, Slovakia). Some case studies underline the need for multidisciplinary competence in evaluation procedures. The choice for funders can be how to select from “among poor projects extremely well presented, and good projects badly presented” (Cumbria case study, England).

Financial procedures, payment system, control and monitoring.

Some of the problems in this area depend upon previous issues. The case of delays of payments is typical - it relates to inefficiency in providing information, preparing and selecting applications. Budget allocation at the territorial level is an important issue, especially for single measures. Some case studies underline the importance of budget allocations carried out at the department level, in order to improve transparency and to assure incentives to competitive selection, rather than speeding up the selection process in order to get more funds (AE measures in Basse-Normandie Region). On the other hand, there is a need for greater flexibility in allocating money where there is the capacity to spend.

Another important issue concerns the inflexibility of co-funding possibilities, raised by the case study in Cumbria. Because each of the schemes had EU money match-funded centrally with UK Exchequer money, any remaining money for projects had to be private sector funded and could not be provided, for example, by other complementary public funding programmes. The effectiveness of the Payment Agency is varied: in some countries it has apparently promoted efficiency (Czech Republic), in others it has contributed to delays in spending (Slovakia). This is due probably to the different degree of experience in different new MS. Administrative structures and their organisation

Human resources play a crucial role in both the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery system. This is related to the amount of people involved in the process, but also the quality of technical resources and expertise, and previous experience in running the schemes. Main gaps in this field have been found in respect of:

• unequal distribution of human / technical resources within the same country and even the same region. In France, the distribution of these resources among the various

stakeholders (Chambers of Agriculture, farmers’ associations, administration) differed quite significantly between the different départements in Basse Normandie, resulting in different burdens on the delivery system;

• a lack of innovation in designing schemes both in national and regional administrations. In Spain the central government planned its rural development programmes jointly with the regional governments, but no changes were applied to the LFA scheme due to bureaucratic and slow administrative processes;

• weak capacity of the regional administration to drive programming of integrated projects and to assure technical assistance (Food-chain projects in Calabria) and of local

administrations to manage local projects (LUCOP, Niger);

• lack of communication and co-ordination among different national administrations. In the village renewal programme, Slovakia there was a lack of communication between Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture in deciding whether the highly successful MoE-run programme should be mainstreamed into the RDP for 2007-13, which led to an eventual decision not to do this. So the VRP now operates entirely separate to a much larger, less targeted village renewal programme managed by MoA. Local actors and agencies

Delivery is not only based on public administrations and institutions. The active roles of the private sector (associations, farmers organisations, consultant firms, etc.) and also local

community representatives (counties, provinces, communes/municipalities, mountain communities, etc.) can make delivery systems more complex and less top-down. In this respect it must be noted that interesting solutions to problems raised in the previous phases, and best practice, can arise when:

• local agencies (private or mixed private/public) take the initiative of promoting the scheme through animation, technical assistance, publicity, etc. (CTE, Leader+ in Andalusia, Food-chain in Calabria);

• there is good management of the scheme at local level due to the presence of particularly effective local leadership (as in the case of Leader+ projects);

• there is some form of good communication/networking and coordination among various

stakeholders at the local level (Cumbria and Regionen Aktiv ).

5.4.6. Instrument design and delivery: lessons and implications for the EU level