THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY IN POLAND. SYNTHETIC PICTURE OF THE NEW POLICY IMPLEMENTATION RESULTS

The integration with the EU changed the national rural policy in Poland, as a fundamental change of the institutional environment took place, and the adjustments of legal regulations and system of support institutions were enforced. The objective of this article is to show how the postaccession agricultural and rural policy has changed the picture of the Polish rural areas, improving the living conditions (technical and social infrastructure), the economic situation of agriculture, structural changes in agriculture, and attitudes of rural inhabitants with regard to EU integration. In addition, the article tackles the issue of efficiency and effectiveness of EU funded programs with regard to overcoming the development disparities.