National Apiculture Program for the period of 2020-2022.

National Apiculture Program for the period of 2020-2022 is a nationwide policy document aimed at the improvement of manufacturing and marketing of apiculture products by providing beekeepers with financial support for certification of honey and apiculture products, purchase of veterinary drugs for treatment of bee diseases, and purchase of bee families and equipment for apiculture.
The objectives of the National Apiculture Program for the period of 2020-2022 shall be as follows: (a) technical assistance for beekeepers and beekeepers' organizations; (b) combating hive-specific diseases, especially varroosis; (c) rationalization of transhumance; (d) assistance measures for restocking the beekeeping stock; and (e) improving the quality of products in order to make better use of products on the market.
The beneficiaries of the Program shall be: (a) beekeepers, natural and legal persons, enterprises, individual entrepreneurs and family businesses established; and (b) associations, federations, agricultural cooperatives, unions, consisting of beekeepers according to legislation in force.
The European Commission participates in the financing of the operations related to the National Apiculture Program for the period of 2020-2022 with 50% of the expenses incurred by Romania, excluding VAT. Agricultural Payments and Intervention Agency (APIA) is the competent authority for carrying out financial operations related to management of allocated funds, elaboration of the applicant 's guide, application form for the request of financial support, elaboration of control procedures for the implementation of the Program, i.e. verification of applications for payments to the beneficiaries, authorization of the payment to the beneficiaries following the verification of payment requests and keeping of accounts of payments made. The National Agency for Animal Husbandry (ANZ) is the competent authority for the registration of hives and apiaries, by implementing the unitary identification system and by recognition of beekeeping biological material produced for marketing only from elite apiaries and authorized multiplication apiaries. National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA) is the competent authority for the activity of registration/sanitary-veterinary authorization of apiaries, and carrying out verification of the presence of chemicals/residues certifying the quality of honey for the National Apiculture Program.
The beekeeping association must conclude a service contract for consultancy activities in the field of beekeeping must be higher education graduate with a zootechnical and/or veterinary profile.
Applicants/beneficiaries are beekeepers, natural persons or legal persons, individual enterprises and family enterprises shall be eligible for access to public financing if they meet the following requirements: (a) skills in the field of beekeeping; (b) availability of certified of hives; and (c) purchase of veterinary drugs.