The Programme has contributed to the creation or conservation of 75,000 jobs in the countryside. Of these,
4,220 are new jobs. Others are either conserved jobs or jobs that only lasted for the length of the various projects or implementation phases of the investments. In rural areas around the cities and in the rural heartland, the unemployment rate has remained below the national average.
Financial support for businesses has been particularly effective in sparsely populated areas. A general economic downturn has reduced the demand for business subsidies. However, enterprises operating in rural areas appear to be less sensitive to changes in the economy than other companies. Within the scope of the Rural Development Programme, funding has been granted to more than 12,000 projects with enterprises investing in new technology or buildings, developing their operations or starting new forms of business.
