
The government of North Macedonia has proposed a new measure that aims to revive abandoned rural areas, through financial support for young couples who decide to live and work in the countryside.
According to the new draft of the Law on Agriculture and Rural Development, published on the ENER platform, young couples who return to the countryside will be able to benefit from up to 100,000 euros in financial assistance.
This draft law will be open for public comments until May 28, while a public hearing is scheduled for June 2.
The financial support is intended to help couples build or reconstruct homes, purchase agricultural machinery, agricultural land or livestock.
To benefit from this scheme, applicants must be under the age of 40, be engaged in agricultural activities and reside in the rural area for a period of at least 10 years.
If these conditions are not met, the financial support must be returned in full.
According to Article 138 of the proposed law, financial assistance covers 80% of eligible and incurred costs, with a maximum of 6,000,000 denars per couple.
Support is provided through a business plan approved by the Agency for Financial Support in Agriculture and Rural Development and lasts for a period of 3 years.
The same amount of support will also be available to young people under 40 who will open a new business in the agriculture or forestry sector.
Likewise, young farmers starting their activity will be able to benefit from up to 20,000 euros, while special support is also provided for women active in the family agricultural economy, for the development of microenterprises, the introduction of innovations and new economic activities in rural areas.