The evaluation conducted by IEEP for DG Agriculture is expected to inform a review of the policy in 2010. It concludes that the policy, although regarded by some as anachronistic, is effective in addressing the current needs of rural areas across Europe. LFA payments make an important contribution to farm incomes in central and eastern European Member States in areas where depopulation is significant, and have been effective in sustaining farming systems in which ‘high nature values’ are most prevalent.

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