Consultancy Services for Rural Development Funds – A Comparative Study between Romania and Poland

Insufficient consultancy services represent one of the causes for poor results in EAFRD's implementation in Romania, in terms of quantity and quality. The attempt of the National Agency for Agricultural Consulting to provide consultancy services for SAPARD and EAFRD projects didn’t reach its goals, because of experts’ inappropriate training and lack of motivation. A comparative analysis between Romania and Poland, based on the important similarities concerning rural areas and development priorities, should point out the reasons for the Polish model's success. Elements of this model might be implemented in Romania, to increase EU rural development programmes’ results. Consultancy services for EU projects should cover formulation and submission as well as implementation activities.