IMPORTANCE OF THE PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS IN THE UPPER DANUBE REGION

During the December 2010, the European Commission established the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, Strategy that targets macro-region consisted of parts of 8 EU and 6 non-EU countries (including Serbia). Expected start of the Document implementation is April 2011. Also, according to the fact that Republic of Serbia is mostly agrarian country, where rural areas dominate, and agriculture represents substantial component of economic development, and since some of identified issues in mentioned Strategy are transportation, communication, energy and environmental problems, there is a need for presentation of general conditions of physical infrastructure facilities in the rural areas of Upper Danube zone in Serbia (primarily on the territory of Bac and Apatin municipalities). As it is known, development of certain rural regions is represented in rising of life standard quality of local population, what implies modern, reliable and well spatially projected physical infrastructure elements with adequate capacity. Complete insight into the current state of infrastructural elements could improve cooperation between territories connected by Danube River, and could also influence equalization of uneven socio-economic development of mentioned areas. From the standpoint of Serbia, through the timely prepared infrastructural projects, local authorities from the observed zone could easier reach future EU pre-accession funds for the rural development.