The
non-profit rural associations have their legal basis in the Reich Settlement
Act (Reichssiedlungsgesetz -RSG) of 1919. In 1949 it was taken over by the new
Federal Republic and since the Unification Treaty of 1990 is also effective in
the new federal states.
The act constitutes that the
federal states can found non-profit rural associations as well as their special
position, their rights and special tasks.
Rural associations are joint-stock
corporations with the legal form of a limited liability company. The public
utiliy is established in the statutes of the associations.
The Laender are main shareholders of the rural
associations. Besides the Landwirtschaftliche
Rentenbank, partly regional banks (Landesbanken)
and other public corporations like corporate counties, rural districts,
municipalities and regional farmers associations have equity participation.
For their activity in public
interest the associations received capital resources. Contributions of
capital were mainly effected in cash, from some Laender as well in so called land contributions. Rural associations
are agencies of regional Land policy responsible for the development of rural
areas. They are subject to the specialist supervision of the respective
deparment in the Ministry of Agriculture in charge. Other Land ministries are represented in the supervisory bodies. Rural
associations working for public interest can be audited by the General
Accounting Office.
Corporate objective of rural associations is the strengthening of economic resources and
the improvement of living conditions in rural areas. Their task is the
implementation of the structural policy for agriculture and rural areas. Rural
associations work in planning, financing and implementation of measures to
improve the structure in rural areas. These measures are predominantly promoted
by public authorities. With their range of services rural associations complete
tasks of the public administration and act partly on their behalf.
The main tasks or range of services
offered by rural associations are:
Land procurement, land utilisation and land reserve for measures to improve agricultural structure as well
as for local and regional development projects, ecological and other public
projects. The rural association´s land resources of about 65.000 hectares serve
these purposes. To avoid land speculation and according to the Law on Real
Estate Transactions rural associations are entitled to pre-emption.
Improvement of
farm structure by planning,
filing of applications and taking care of proceedings regarding facilities for
investment programmes on farm site.
·
Improvement of cultivable surface by area extension
·
Improvement of company premises by building operations in old farms
·
Resettlement from cramped living conditions in villages as well as
construction of new company premises and dwellings
·
Re-establishment and restructuring of agricultural farms in the new Laender.
Advice and
implementation of multiform measures of farm land consolidation and
re-arrangement of ownership structure by means of voluntary agreements for land exchange and speedy merging
according to the land consolidation act as well as land use system proceedings
and reuniting of building and land property in the East-German federal states.
Furthermore the associations assist in rental and exploitation of former nationalized
areas in East-Germany.
Project
management for village renewal, regional and municipal development, especially in
context with interaction of municipal and agricultural structure development.
·
Agricultural structure development planning and technical planning on
local and regional levels
·
Plans for zoning of rural areas and zoning ordinance, other technical
plannings
·
Planning for environment structures and environment protection
·
Village development
·
Land reserve for supply of building ground
·
Development of building lots for housing, industry, trade and recreation
·
Rural building of homecraft
·
Purchase of area for nature protection programmes.
Other services
·
Verification of property and preparations for land purchase for public
service companies and transportation projects
·
Administration of rural areas for Laender
and communities
·
Planning, implementation and backstopping of projects of integrated
rural development and common initiatives of the EC.
Rural associations establish links
between the structural promotion measures of the European Union, the Federal
Government and the Laender at the
local level. They trascend departmental and administrative limits in their
work. This is the prerequisite for an integral structural development taking
into account existing specific capacities of the region in question.
Rural associations do not receive
direct financial contributions from the government for their services. They
finance themselves by means of incomes and fees for their services.
The regional field of activities of
rural associations is specified in the statutes. In practice, the field of
activity is limited to the respective federal state, so that the different
rural associations do not compete with each other. Rural associations have
branch offices which are organized according to the structure in public
administration. Thus, area-wide advice and services in all rural regions is
guaranteed.