The Common Agricultural Policy seeks to be fairer, greener and simpler in the new programming period. The changes are linked to developing strategic plans aimed at the specific features of the EU Member States. In addition to the ambitious goals of the Green Deal, the EU has developed a Long-term Vision for Rural Areas until 2040. The study aims to assess the EU strategic plans through the perspective of supporting the implementation of the objectives of the long-term vision for rural areas with a focus on Bulgaria. The results conclude that the CAP allows for the support of a wide range of objectives. However, some of them are addressed to a limited extent in the CAP strategic plans, particularly related to social services and infrastructure, energy, and support for knowledge and innovation. In this regard, it is necessary to link the measures more closely to the needs and specifics of rural areas to overcome regional imbalances and achieve the goals set out in the strategic documents.
Ivanova et al. (Fri,) studied this question.