ELER

ELER is the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. Through it, the European Union finances the second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It has existed since 2000; the current funding period runs from 2023 to 2027. In Germany, the federal government and the states implement the funding through the CAP strategic plan and the state programmes. You receive it as a grant.

Unlike a funding programme that is uniform across Germany, ELER is a fund with many sub-programmes. Each federal state sets out in its programme which measures it offers and how high the grant is. The programme of the state in which you carry out your project therefore applies to it.

What stands out is the leverage: national co-financing is added to the EU funds, which means a considerably larger funding volume is available in Germany. In the 2014 to 2022 funding period this amounted to around €9.44 billion, an average of €1.35 billion a year.

Who may apply is determined by the individual measure. Eligibility is governed differently for each measure and federal state. ELER is not limited to agricultural businesses. Municipalities, associations and other bodies can be funded too, where the measure provides for them. Funding goes to projects in rural areas.

Clarify first the one condition on which everything depends. Is there a measure in your federal state’s programme that matches your project? The responsible authority will tell you. In Hesse this is the district administration of your district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania the Landesförderinstitut in Schwerin, and in Brandenburg the ELER managing authority. Ask there before you plan. If your project does not fit any measure, there is no grant.

Funding goes to whatever is expressly provided for in an ELER measure. Five areas shape the offer: investments in agriculture as well as in processing and marketing, agri-environment and climate action measures, basic services and village renewal, LEADER projects and technical assistance. ELER does not pay out on a theme but on an individual measure with its own rules.

Which of these measures are offered is set out in your state’s programme. The upper and lower limits are set by the individual measure, and they vary a great deal. In Saxony-Anhalt, non-productive nature conservation investments are funded with €5,000 to €750,000 per project.

You receive a grant towards your eligible expenditure. Individual state measures go beyond this and provide for full financing or advance payments.

How high the grant is depends on the measure you use. The rates differ greatly by state and measure, and the range is wide. In individual nature conservation and investment measures in Saxony-Anhalt, up to 100% is possible. In Baden-Württemberg, companies with fewer than ten employees receive up to 30%, and 35% or 40% for individual priorities. Medium-sized companies there receive a maximum of 10% for investment aid and up to 20% for other priorities.

Baden-Württemberg also sets lower and upper limits. Funding starts at €5,000 there, and a maximum of €200,000 is possible per project, or €250,000 in certain cases.