PERSPECTIVES OF REDUCING RURAL-URBAN DISPARITIES IN ROMANIA AFTER THE ACCESSION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION

Disparities in society and poverty are problems of main concern in Romania. The population's involvement in economic activities was influenced by atypical trends in the transition period, such as a process of deindustrialization and one of ruralization. The rural-urban development disparities are consistent. In rural areas most people live in a "subsistence economy" dominated by low-performance agricultural activities, the population is ageing and the entrepreneurial behaviour is incipient. The accession to the European Union will accelerate the structural adjustment of the agricultural sector, the increase of competitiveness of agricultural products, environmental protection and a better life quality in rural areas. This improvement is the potential result of the EU regional development policy and also of the measures of the Common Agricultural Policy. The new CAP promotes the model of multifunctional agriculture, which reveals the multiple role of agriculture in the revitalization of the rural space. The paper focuses on the priorities of the development policy in Romania regarding the reduction of rural-urban disparities and on the conditions that have to be fulfilled in order to benefit from the EU support.