rural development

The article provides a detailed analysis of basic stages of forming the European Rural Development Policy. The principal reasons for changing priorities of the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union and the strategic prospects of introducing rural development policy are found out. The possible application of the European experience in Ukrainian reality is identified.

Problem setting. In the list of indicators, pursued by the State Strategy of Regional Development for the period up to 2020, inter alia, the demographic burden on population aged 16 to 59 was identified. The aging process of the Ukraine’s population and  dwindling of the working population have not shown the reduction of those indicators value.