Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 20 Basic services and village renewal in rural areas

1. Support under this measure shall cover, in particular:

(a) the drawing up and updating of plans for the development of municipalities and villages in rural areas and their basic services and of protection and management plans relating to Natura 2000 sites and other areas of high nature value;

(b) investments in the creation, improvement or expansion of all types of small scale infrastructure, including investments in renewable energy and energy saving;

(c) broadband infrastructure, including its creation, improvement and expansion, passive broadband infrastructure and provision of access to broadband and public e-government solutions;

(d) investments in the setting up, improvement or expansion of local basic services for the rural population, including leisure and culture, and the related infrastructure;

(e) investments for public use in recreational infrastructure, tourist information and small scale tourism infrastructure;

(f) studies and investments associated with the maintenance, restoration and upgrading of the cultural and natural heritage of villages, rural landscapes and high nature value sites, including related socio-economic aspects, as well as environmental awareness actions;

(g) investments targeting the relocation of activities and conversion of buildings or other facilities located within or close to rural settlements, with a view to improving the quality of life or increasing the environmental performance of the settlement.

2. Support under this measure shall only concern small-scale infrastructure, as defined by each Member State in the programme. However, rural development programmes may provide for specific derogations from this rule for investments in broadband and renewable energy. In this case, clear criteria ensuring complementarity with support under other Union instruments shall be provided.

3. Investments under paragraph 1 shall be eligible for support where the relevant operations are implemented in accordance with plans for the development of municipalities and villages in rural areas and their basic services, where such plans exist and shall be consistent with any relevant local development strategy.