Analysis of Accessing Rural Development Funds

The present study aims to analyse successful projects of the Romanian Rural Development Funds from different perspectives based on a county level. The framework of the analysis focuses on two periods: one before the accession, the 2002–2006 period of SAPARD applications, and the other one, the first period of the Rural Development Programme, more specifically, the period between 2007 and 2013. Results show that there is a positive correlation between applications and targeted areas based on infrastructure, tourism, and agriculture indicators. Findings also highlight that there is a positive correlation between the number of previous applications (SAPARD applications before the accession) and the grant size of current applications. Moreover, there is a negative correlation between the grant size of previous applications and the size of current applications. Cluster analysis revealed important social changes: on the one hand, the western counties of Romania (Bihor, Arad, Timiş, and Cluj) have strengthened their position, while other counties are lagging behind.